CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Literature is simply meant as a textual form, an object of study (Green and LeBihan in Critical Theory and Practice: A Course book, 1996). While, according to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (1995), literature is the study of books (not technical books and journalism) or other works of art like drama, fiction, poetry, and biography.
From literature point of view, we can see any social problem in society with several approaches or theories. There are many introductions to literary theory available with the complex problems of contemporary literary theory to engage with my study such as Marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism, post-colonial theory, and so forth. However, I only use Marxism to solve the problem of my study.
Marxism is commonly known as a political and social doctrine developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It deals with economic production (the base) and human institutions (the superstructure) causing an alienation between two opposite sides, namely capitalists (bourgeoisie) and workers (proletariat). I am interested in analyzing Shirley Jackson’s short story (The Lottery) because this story contains a significant social problem happening in a capitalist society and it can be analyzed precisely with Marxist theory (Marxism). The story presents the power of capitalists who monopolize the society through the lottery, the most prominent activity in a society. In this report, I elaborate the dominance of the capitalists in work field, particularly in the lottery that becomes the ordinary social practices of the village.
My study in analyzing Jackson’s The Lottery , absolutely, touches upon literature since I have learned a considerable number of literature on literary works for approximately four years. Therefore, to accomplish my first degree of Sarjana Sastra, I chose Jackson’s The Lottery and analyzed it with Marxist
