The Lottery

Symbol:

The black lottery box

The black box was a spooky symbol in this story. When first describing the town, Shirley Jackson uses bright and positive words like clear, blue sky. When the box is mentioned, it is a dark black and has been used for years.

This box symbolizes the ongoing tradition of the lottery. When talk arouse of replacing the box, it was either refuted or never continued. The townspeople were afraid of change. Changing the box might lead to change in the lottery, and their long celebrated tradition was what brought good crops to the village. I think that Shirley Jackson was trying to symbolize how much traditions rule our lives.

Literary Elements

Theme:

Appearance vs. Reality

This theme was very blatant in The Lottery. At the exposition of the story, the town appears to be calm and cheerful town. The townsfolk were chattering and bantering to each other, while the children played carefree in the town square.

As the story develops, the atmosphere become more and more dark. By the end of the story, the townspeople are ready to kill one of their friends.

This example is Appearance vs. Reality because at first the town appears to be cheerful and carefree, but one then realizes that the town is ridden with evils that are covered up by tradition.

Foreshadowing:

Mr. Graves

Foreshadowing in this story was very vague, or not present at all. One of the biggest hints of what was to come was the last name of one of the townsfolk. Mr. Graves was helping organize the lottery.

This is foreshadowing because his last name, Graves, infers that there is death in store for someone in the town. Although this was small foreshadowing, it still gives the reader a clue of what is to come for the small town.