Irony in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"

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The Lottery
The Lottery is a short story that depicts a small community that engages in what can only be termed as archaic practices that are ritualized. Throughout the story, the author, Shirley Jackson is keen to bring out the theme of irony in a manner that is quite vivid for the readers. At every turn, there is an element of irony that rocks the development of the story. From the start, of the story, Jackson, indicates to the readers that the fateful day, started off as sunny and clear, however as the readers come to the end of the story, the day is gloomy and painful. The irony is predominant in the story and is used to ridicule the ritualized practices (Jackson).
One of the ways the author brings out the theme of irony is associated with the character names, the main characters. In this case, the main characters are Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves. These are two conflicting names in the sense that they depict different elements. ‘The lottery was conducted--as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program--by Mr. Summers.’ (Jackson). While Mr. Summers’ name suggests happiness, he conducted one of the most brutal traditions in the community, stoning villagers that picked the black paper.
What is more astonishing is the fact that the children were to collect the stones. It is interesting to note that, the children were drawn into this brutal tradition and were even seen to be eager to take part in the ritualized killing of their parents and villagers. This is an ironic appr...