How Does Shirley Jackson Use Symbols In The Lottery

Shirley Jackson also utilizes literary devices to good effect in “The Lottery,” especially that of symbolism. By keeping the setting devoid of any identifying details, Jackson frees the reader to imagine that it could be any place. The only constraints that the author places on her readers’ creativity are that the town is decidedly rural, perhaps narrowing the critique to the cultural scene most frequently associated with small town America. Other symbols include the box from which the lottery slips are drawn (an old and black object which heralds death), stoning as a method of execution (a particularly old and excruciating way to kill someone), and ritual itself (a series of often ill contemplated actions for which one needs no particular reason to follow). All of these, with their marked reference to age, clearly refer to tradition.

Within the first few lines of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" we are faced with such adjectives as clear, sunny, fresh and warmth. She goes on to paint a picture of small children just out of school for the summer, as the townspeople gather for the annual Lottery. This leads us to believe that the rest of the story is as cheery as the summer day initially described. We as the readers are virtually unaware of the horrible senseless events that lie ahead. Through the use of symbolism Shirley Jackson reveals the underlying decay of ethics that results from an empty ritual followed by narrow-minded people.

On the other hand, the villagers stoning the winner of the lottery was used as a symbol of punishment. It is one of the most established and common execution methods. However, in The Lottery, the stones represent victory of the lottery. Shirley Jackson stated that, “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones” (Jackson 291). Stoning is symbolic in “The Lottery” because, “For stoning to be effective it requires a crowd to act together. This reinforces the point that the antagonist of this story it is not a single person but society” (Gahr). For instance, this means that the immorality of the village is so severe that the antagonist is not just one person but society itself. How do you think the villagers feel when their children were caught up in this senseless tradition by collecting stones? It is obvious that the villagers were following tradition that was done every year. “What about allowing a child to be a child?” For example; playing with toy cars and trucks, coloring books and Barbie’s, or getting push by their parents on a swing at a park. Children should not be allowed to partake in an event so gruesome and violent or seen raising anything to aggressively hurt an adult.

In her story “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson manages to catch the readers’ attention and ultimately shock them with an unexpected ending; all of which help her emphasize her critique toward the dark side of human nature and the evil that resides, sometimes, in those who we less expect it from. Jackson uses symbolism throughout the story that helps her set the mood and also makes the readers wonder and analyze the senseless violence and cruelty in their own lives.

Thesis: The short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson found in Perrine's Literature written by Thomas R. Arp is a story full of symbolism.

In Shirley Jacksons, The Lottery, the reader is taken into an almost dreamlike village where the children are playing and the adults are conversing and laughing amongst each other. The story makes the reader believe that this village that they have been introduced to is the ideal spot to live in and has the happiest of people but the story begins to unravel itself as it progresses. The village follows a tradition to hold an annual lottery and this requires that all townspeople are required to meet up at the square. Once a victor is chosen, the story takes a turn for the worst as the said victor, Mrs.Hutchinson, is stoned to death. Upon reading this story and its ending, it is apparent that this result was being hinted at from the beginning and that the mentality of the village is unstable. Having children take part in picking up stones for the pending murder and parents mindlessly allowing these obviously immoral actions to continue.

In stories there will be objects that will constantly be mentioned within the story. This is what is known as Symbolism. Symbolism is the use of object, name, or person to represent an idea. If a name is being use, a name such as autumn can represent the adulthood of a human. Creatures such as an Eagle, represents ‘Freedom’ and ‘America’. Even inanimate objects can represent ideas; the light bulb represents ideas that just sparked into a character’s head.

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson artfully uses foreshadowing in order to build suspense and create a shocking ending. Jackson’s success in “The Lottery” comes from her ability to keep the reader in the dark about the evils, until the very end. She has masterfully set up what the reader believes as a pleasant event. After the story concludes, the reader can truly see how Jackson utilized foreshadowing. When the reader re-reads the story, one fully realizes all the miniscule details that foreshadow the ending.

Shirley Jackson wrote the story “The Lottery” back in 1948 to show us how ridiculous it could be to blindly follow certain traditions. In this story the author uses symbolisms to warn and prepare the reader about the gruesome ending of the lottery. There are a lot of symbols in the story and the main are the items, the lottery and the character names.

Jackson employs the use of symbolism in many of her characters surnames throughout “The Lottery” to promote her theme. Of these many symbols, and arguably the most deeply hidden and relevant, is the symbolism of the Martin characters. The youngest Martin, Bobby, is a leader among the village youth, as witnessed by “the other boys following his example” (Jackson). Compared to the other children, the narrator places great emphasis upon Bobby Martin by mentioning the character four times, indicating that the Jackson desires to draw her reader’s attention towards the boy for analysis. The surname Martin is Latin for “Martinus, a derivative of Mars, the Roman god of fertility and war” (Hanks).

Shirley Jackson tells use about a small town in June that is having their yearly lottery drawing. Shirley Jackson uses a lot of symbolism and characterization to tell about their tradition. Jackson also uses symbolism to tell the reader how long the tradition has went on by describing how old things are and some of the people. In her book,“The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson emphasizes the danger of accepting tradition through her portrayal of setting, characterization, and symbolism. Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving things symbolic meaning.

One second…whether it is homicide… two seconds… or suicide… three seconds…on earth a person dies every second. Approximately that is eighty-six thousand and four hundred human beings dying per day. In “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson uses symbolism of the character Mr. Graves, the black mark, the stones, and the black box to develop the theme of death. For example, Mr. Graves represents death in the story.

can be interpreted in a different way. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a short

Shirley Jackson 's 'The Lottery ', is a story that is filled with symbolism. The author uses symbolism to help her represent human nature as tainted, no matter how pure one thinks of himself or herself, or how pure their environment may seem to be. The story is very effective in raising many questions about the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. 'The Lottery ' clearly expresses Jackson 's feelings concerning mankind?s evil nature hiding behind traditions and rituals. She shows how coldness and lack of compassion in people can exhibit in situations regarding tradition and values. Jackson presents the theme of this short story with a major use of symbolism. Symbolism shows throughout the setting of 'The Lottery, ' the objects, the peoples actions, and even in the time and the names of the lucky contestants.

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson is a story of an unusual town caught in a trap of always following tradition, even when it is not in their best interest. Jackson uses symbols throughout the story that relate to the overall theme. This helps the reader clearly understand her main message. Jackson uses setting, tone and symbols to convey a theme to her audience. By doing so she creates significant connections to the theme using old man Warner and the black box as examples.