Intersecting Oppressions: A Marxist-Feminist Critique of Class Struggle and Gender Subjugation in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery

This study presents a Marxist-Feminist critique of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery, exposing the intersections of class oppression and gender subjugation within a rigidly hierarchical society. Through the lens of Marxist theory, the research examines how economic power structures manipulate individuals into accepting systemic violence, reinforcing capitalist control through ideological conditioning. The tradition of The Lottery functions as an instrument of coercion, ensuring that the working class remains subservient to an exploitative order. Meanwhile, feminist theory particularly radical feminism reveals how patriarchal structures marginalize women, rendering them voiceless and complicit in their own oppression. The analysis underscores how the villagers, despite momentary glimpses of dissent, remain bound by inherited traditions that sustain both class and gender inequalities. Employing an integrated theoretical framework that synthesizes Marxist and feminist perspectives, this study unpacks how The Lottery serves as an allegory for the perpetuation of institutionalized violence under the guise of tradition.