Shirley Jackson's first book was 'The Road Through the Wall'. In this novel, she started to show her talent for creating an atmosphere that was both ordinary and yet filled with a kind of underlying tension. It was like she was pulling back the curtain on the so - called normal lives of the characters. The plot weaves through the lives of different people in a community, and through her descriptions, you can feel the subtle power dynamics and the unspoken rules that govern their interactions. It's an interesting read if you want to understand the evolution of Jackson's writing.
Shirley Jackson creates suspense by withholding information. In 'The Haunting of Hill House', she doesn't immediately tell the readers what exactly is haunting the house. She gives small hints and strange occurrences, which keeps the readers guessing. Also, her use of unreliable narrators, like in some of her other stories, adds to the suspense. We are never quite sure if what the narrator is telling us is the whole truth or if there are hidden secrets they are unaware of or deliberately hiding.
In 'Charles', Shirley Jackson creates a vivid and somewhat mysterious story. One aspect to note is the unreliable narrator. The main character, a young child, tells the story of Charles, a naughty boy in school. But as the story unfolds, we start to suspect that there might be more to it than just a simple account of another child's misbehavior. This makes the story engaging as it keeps the reader guessing.
For Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery', themes include the dark side of conformity. The villagers just go along with the lottery without really questioning its brutality. Another theme is the hidden violence within a seemingly normal community. It shows that a peaceful - looking place can have a very cruel underbelly. Also, there is a sense of the sacrifice of the individual for the sake of the group's strange and archaic idea of what is right.
I think Shirley Jackson's first short story might be 'The Lottery'. It was a ground - breaking work. The story has a deceptively simple setting - a small village on a sunny day. But as the lottery unfolds, it reveals the deep - seated, cruel nature of the villagers. Jackson uses a calm narrative style to describe the horrifying events, which makes the story even more impactful. It also shows how blindly people can follow traditions without thinking about their morality.
Her very first short stories are characterized by their exploration of human nature. She delved into the dark and complex aspects of people's minds. Through her characters, we can see things like envy, fear, and the struggle between good and evil.
Her writing style is often marked by a sense of the uncanny. In this collection, she likes to build suspense gradually. For example, in 'The Lottery', she starts with a seemingly normal village scene and then slowly reveals the dark nature of the lottery.