ANALYSIS OF SHIRLEY JACKSON’S SHORT STORY “THE LOTTERY” USING TRANSITIVITY MODEL

Authors

  • Safdar Habib MS English (Linguistics) Scholar, Department of English, Kohat University of Science &Technology (KUST) Kohat, KP, Pakistan. Author
  • Dr. Syed Azaz Ali Shah Assistant Professor, Department of English, Kohat University of Science &Technology (KUST) Kohat, KP, Pakistan. Author
  • Nasim Gul Lecturer, Department of English, Kohat University of Science &Technology (KUST) Kohat, KP, Pakistan. Author

Keywords:

Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), Transitivity Model, Shirley Jackson, The Lottery, Material Process, Literary Discourse, Violence, Ideology

Abstract

This study applies Halliday’s Transitivity Model within Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) to Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” (1948), examining how linguistic structures construct meaning, ideology, and social relationships. Focusing on six transitivity processes material, mental, relational, verbal, behavioural, and existential, the research analyses 312 clauses to reveal how language represents ritualized violence and social conformity. Findings show that material processes dominate (45.5%), highlighting routine acts of communal violence, while relational and mental processes expose the ideological and psychological dimensions of belief. Tessie Hutchinson’s transformation from participant to scapegoat underscore’s themes of agency and victimization. Overall, the study demonstrates that Halliday’s transitivity framework effectively reveals how language normalizes violence and reinforces ideology in literary discourse.

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Published

2025-11-15

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2025): The Study of Religion And History

Section

English

License

All articles published in The Study of Religion and History (SRH) are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

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