Use of Symbols in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

When most people play the lottery today, they think about having wealth. Generally, people who win are happy about it whether they win one dollar or a million. The lottery in our society has grown to support education and it is often worth several million dollars. Usually, the winner of the lottery gains a lot of recognition for the money they win. But what would happen if there was a small town where people held a yearly lottery in which the “winner” was the member of the town who was not sacrificed? This question is answered in Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery.” In reading this story, and reading literary criticism about the story, there were many symbols and much symbolism in this story.

 “The common curse of mankind, --folly and ignorance” (Shakespeare).            Were he alive, William Shakespeare might fully endorse Shirley Jackson’s ideas as presented in The Lottery.  The author, Jackson, very distinctly uses symbolic names for her characters to show the ignorance of the sacrificial lottery, which the small village holds year after year.  These sacrifices, which used to be held to appease the god of harvest, have grown meaningless in their culture.  Jackson uses the characters not only to visualize the story for the reader, but also each one has a meaning, which adds to the ultimate theme.

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, is a suspenseful story that begins on a pleasant morning in June, but it quickly shifts into a morbid display of tradition. The characters display a sudden change in loyalty to each other once one of the town member’s names is drawn from the “black box”. Through this action, along with several other vivid examples from the text, Jackson cultivates an underlying theme of hypocrisy and the evil of human nature.

Symbols also play a crucial role in making this story. The black box represents the tradition. It is even made out of previous black boxes that have been used in the village for previous lotteries. At first, both the lottery and the black box appear rather innocent, but they both actually hold something full of malice. Additionally, both of these things have

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.

In the short story "The Lottery," Shirley Jackson uses figurative language, symbolism, and irony to reveal her theme that things are not always what they seem to be. In this shocking short story, she reveals the corruption of human nature by telling of the ceremony they call “The lottery”.

Shirley Jackson, the author of the short story “The Lottery” is an unusual story of a town caught in a trap of following tradition. Shirley Jackson uses many symbols in the story to relate to the theme. By doing this it helps the reader understand the story and the message she is trying to get across. Jackson uses tone, setting, and symbolism to conduct a theme for her readers. By doing this she creates connections to the theme by using the black box and old man Warner as a symbol.

To a first time reader, Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery” seems simply as a curious tale with a shocking ending. After repetitive reading of Jackson's tale, it is clear that each sentence is written with a unique purpose often using symbolism. Her use of symbols not only foreshadow its surprise and disturbing ending but allows the reader to evaluate the community's pervert traditional rituals. She may be commenting on the season of the year and the grass being “richly green” or the toying with the meanings of the character's names but each statement applies to the meaning and lesson behind her story.

In the short story, "The Lottery", written by Shirley Jackson, literary devices are used to enhance the story. When writing, authors may employ many literary devices into a story. One of the many literary devices is symbolism. The symbols can help imply the theme of the story. The readers have an opportunity to unfold the meaning behind each symbol. This short story, in particular, is full of many symbols. In a logical way, the author is able to keep the reader engaged in the action.

It is accurately noted in the analysis of "The Lottery" found in Short Stories for Students that the story itself takes place in a very peaceful village, but the actual plot is very far from peaceful (Wilson 144). As seen in "The Lottery," the narrator makes it known that "the lottery was conducted—as were the square dances, the teen club, (and) the Halloween program". In other words, programs that could be conducted in any normal society, contrary to the harsh reality of the lottery. It is also ironic that towards the beginning of "The Lottery," Mrs. Delacroix is laughing with her 'friend' Tessie Hutchinson. In the conclusion of the story, Mrs. Delacroix can be seen "select[ing] a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands.

In the short story, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, a village has just entered the month of June, meaning that the lottery is to begin. When everyone was present, the heads of the households’ names were called one by one to pick up a slip of paper. It was then discovered that the

     By using the heads of households in the initial round of the lottery, the blame could be passed off to him. The eldest men, and only the men were supposed to draw from the first round as expressed by ?Don?t you have a grown boy to do it for you, Janey?? (Jackson 368) and ?Glad to see your mother?s got a man to do it.? (Jackson 368) were responsible for their families and the man who drew the

Could you take a hand in killing someone from your community, a neighbor, a friend? What if it was part of a sacred rite? What if it was for some greater good? This is precisely the moral dilemma posed by author Shirley Jackson in her famous short story, “The Lottery.” In the story, a village is required to cull one of its members. In a yearly tradition, everyone gathers to select one person by way of random lottery, and then they stone them to death. As barbaric as the sacrifice is, everyone seems to go through the ritual with an air of resolved finality. “The Lottery” examines the idea of what is required of a person in society, what that society considers to be good, and where the line between the two should be drawn.

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.

Mrs.Delacroix loves the lottery and was a good friend with Tessie Hutchinson . In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, Mrs.Delacroix is greedy for more food. She would sacrifice people for good crops. Mrs.Delacroix also is disloyal to her friend. She is Tessie Hutchinson’s friend, but she is willing to kill Tessie Hutchinson to get good harvest.