Irony in "The Lottery"

Shirley Jackson published the short story, “The Lottery”, on June 28th 1948. Irony is present throughout the entire story, from the title to the last sentence. Irony is the contrast between what is expected or what appears to be and what actually is. The characters, situation, title, point of view, and the setting of “The Lottery”, all make it ironic.
From the very beginning of this story, it is obvious that irony will play a big role throughout the story. The title of this story states obvious irony. The reason that the title is ironic is because the person who wins the lottery is stoned to death. When most people think of the term lottery, they associate it with winning something of value.
The first sentence in “The Lottery”, leads the readers to believe that it’s going to be a beautiful day, but by the end of the story it turns out to be a horrific...