You're Ugly Too

"'Just kidding,' she said. 'I was just kidding.' But he gazed at her, appalled and frightened, his Magic Marker buttocks turned away now toward all of downtown, a naked pseduowoman with a blue bracelet at the wrist..." (page 370)

Throughout the story, Zoe continually tells stories and jokes. However, no one else gets them or thinks they are funny. Zoe thinks her jokes are ironic (more lighthearted), however everyone else thinks that they are sarcastic (more cruel). In this sense, Zoe is misunderstood. I feel as if the fact that people do not understand Zoe and her sense of humor makes her feel insecure about who she is. She covers up her insecurities by more jokes. She was also self-concious. This is noted when she walks by the mirror and looks at herself. The people in which she continually interacts with are not like her at all, which further add to her insecurity.

The Drunkard

"I'm the one that ought to be pitied, with my day ruined on me, and I after being made a show for the whole road." (page 351)

The boy at the beginning of the story reprimands his father for getting drunk. The actions of his father are not respected and his father makes a fool of himself. However, the son ends up getting drunk and embarrasses the father. This is ironic. The father is embarrassed because of the way his son is acting, which is similar to how the son felt about the father at first. Later on, the mom approves of her son being drunk because it prevents the father from drinking. This is ironic because normally a mother would not approve of her child getting drunk and behaving the way in which he did.

The Lottery

"Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves, body work any more, live that way for a while." (page 268)

One thing that I noticed throughout the story was the modern nature but traditional and ancient customs. Old Man Warner is the most traditional man in the community. In the quote above, he mentions how if the lottery is done away with, they would not be able to function as a society. It would be like they are going back to an ancient time like cavemen. However, the mere fact that they are society that sacrifices individuals by stoning them is an ancient act in and of itself. The people in the village don't really give a legitimate reason for why they continue to do the lottery. It started because they believed that sacrificing a human would produce good crops. However, the author doesn't say why the people continue to do that so it could either be that they still believe it or they don't want to break tradition.

Popular Mechanics

"But he would not let go. He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard. In this manner, the issue was decided."

Personally, I was confused by the short stories ending. I understood the main premise of the story of the two parents arguing and debating over the child. The final lines give an insinuation that the baby is physically hurt at the end. This questions if either parent got the baby at the end. The fact that the parents are fighting and can't talk efficiently shows how immature they are. Obviously the issue over the child is important, but they aren't treating it the right way by arguing in such a manner. I just don't understand what happens to the baby. The ending is very climatic and it doesn't explain anything. This makes me wonder if the ending isn't positive or happy at all. The author purposely makes the ending a mystery for a literary purpose, even though I don't know what that is.