Women’s-Inferiority-in-The-Lottery――The-Reason-of-

Women’sInferiorityinTheLottery――TheReasonofTessieHutchinson’sTragedyⅠ.IntroductionWiththedevelopmentofthesocietyandtheriseoftheWomenReturningHomemovement,manyAmericanwomenreturnedhomeandbecamehappyhousewives.However,notallofthemaresohappy.Manywomenlefttheirjobbutwerecenteredwithhusbandsandkidsanddidboringhouseworkdayafterday,yearafteryearwithoutanypay.Therefore,theylosttheireconomicindependencyandhadtosubmittotheirhusbands.Finallytheylosttheiropportunityforfurthereducationandtheirownpersonality,andbecamemen'sattachment.Women'slifeandrightschokedbecauseoftheircarryingoutofthedutyaswivesandmothers,sotheywerenothappyatall.Fromthe20thcenturyon,anumberofwomenwriterssprouted.Mostoftheirworksreflectedwomen'sattachmenttomenandthedepressionofwomen'smind.Fromuniqueviews,thesewomenwritersdisplayedwomen'sconsciousnessandability.In1948,thefamousAmericannovelist,ShirleyJacksonpublishedhermasterpiece---theshortstory,TheLottery,onNewYorker.Thepublicationcausedgreatattentionofcritics.Inthisgrotesquestory,underthethreatofdeath,womenaredoubtlesslysacrificed.TheLotteryisnotlong---lessthanfivethousandswords.Fromthenon-participantpointviewandwithconcisewords,theauthortellsaseeminglytruebuthorriblestorycalmly:everyJune,peopleofasmallvillagegatheronthesquaretodeterminewhoshouldbekilledasasacrificeforharvestbytheotherpeoplewithstones.Thisshortstorydisplaysaprofoundtheme.It'sanabsurdworldcontrolledbymenwherewomenareinferiorandsacrificeofthesociety.Theauthorshowsfierceironytothefalseequallity.ShirleyJacksonexplainswomen'sinferiorityfromvillagers'behaviorandTessieHutchinson'sfateofbeingchosen.Ⅱ.TessieHutchinson'stragedyWomen'sinferiorityinTheLotteryismainlyembodiedinTessieHutchinson'sbeingchosenasasacrifice.Thetitle-TheLotterypuzzlesreaders.IntheOxfordAdvancedLearner'sEnglish-Chinese,lotterymeanswayofraisingmoneybysellingnumberedticketsandgivingprizetotheholdersofnumbersselectedatrandom.Beforethereading,readerswillthinkthatitismustbesomethingaboutfortuneorgames.However,itiscompletelybeyondimagination.Thewinnergetsnoprizebutdeath.JacksonpickscarefullyoutTessietomocktheso-calledsexualequality.Theheroine'snameandherdefiantwordsandbehaviorsimplyhertragedy.1.SymbolofthenameFromthenameoftheheroine,TessieHutchinson,wecanforeseehertragedy.SheislikeAnneHutchinsonwhowasexpelledbypuritansandalsolikeTessinHardy'smasterpiece,thesacrificeofmen-controlledsociety.Thename,Tessie,datesbackfromtheGreekworld-theizein,whichmeansharvestinaccordancewiththepurposeofthelotteryintheshortstory.Withsuchanamefullofsymbols,theauthordeterminesTessie'sdestiny-thesacrificeofprimitiverites.2.DefiancetotraditionsTessieunconsciouslyshowsherresistancetotheinequalitybetweenmanandwomananddefiancetothetraditionalrites,whichisintolerableinthesociety.Itistheverydefiancethatpusheshertodeath.Tessiedoesnotattachmuchimportancetothelottery.Shethinkswashingandcleaningaremoreimportant.Herlatenessandlaughdisturbthepre-arrangedroleandthesocialorderoftheruler.Therefore,sheischosentobestonedtowarnothers.Finally,shecomesandMr.Summersischeerful.However,duringthecourseofthelottery,herwordsandbehaviorsareagainsttherulethatmencontroleverything.Duringthefirstroundofthelottery,whenitisherhome'sturn,shesaysgetupthere,Bill,whichmakespeoplenearherlaugh.Thatisbecauseshedoesnot,likeotherwomen,callherhusbandoldmanbutthenamedirectly.Herwordschallengethesocialinstitutionthathusbandsaresuperior,becauseshereversestheplaceofhusbandsandwives,thoughsheisunconsciousofit.Hermistake-theunconsciouschallenge-pushesherfurthertodeath.Whensherealizesthatherhusbandgetstheticket,shecriesthatyoudidnotgivehimtimeenoughtotakeanypaperhewanted.Isawyou.Itwasunfair!Asacommonwomanwhoisinferior,shehasnorighttotakepartinpolitics.Hercryingofunfairdisturbsthedivisionsofwork:menmakehouses,womenmakehomes.Beforethelastroundofthelottery,Mr.SummersasksMr.Hutchinson,yougotanyotherhouseholdsintheHutchinsons?Tessiesays,There'sDonandEva...Makethemtaketheirchance!InTessie'smind,EvaandDonhaveequalchanceswithboys.However,traditionally,girlsbelongtohusbands'familiesaftertheirmarriage.Evahasbecomeawifeandlostherownpersonality,andsheisapartofherhusband.Mr.Summerstellsherthatdaughtersdrawwiththeirhusbands'families,andTessiecriesagainthatitisnotfair.However,forproudmenandmediocrewomen,itisverynatural.Tessie'ssuchopinionisagainstothers',whichisalsoahintofhertragedy.Tessiesaysrepeatedlythatitisnotfair,butononecares.Peoplearebusyatpreparingthelastlotteryandnooneshowssympathy,evenononestoptolistentoherwords.Tessieisdestinedtobethesacrifice.Inthelastroundofthelottery,Tessieisthewinneraseveryoneexpected.She,inthecenterofaclearedspace,heldherhandsoutdesperately...Itisn'tfair,itisn'trightisthelastwordssheleavesintheworld.Sheisfightingatthelastsecond.Ⅲ.ConclusionShirleyJacksonmakesupaprimitiveriteofsacrificeinmodernsociety.Inthisshortstory,womenareinferiortomen,whichcanbeseenfromthebehaviorsofthevillagersandTessieHutchinson'sbeingchosen.Tessie'stragedyisimpliedbyhernameandherdefiantwordsandbehaviors.Tessieiscryingallthetimethatitisnotunfairuntilthelastm