Comparing Symbols and Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown and The Lottery

Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown and The Lottery

The authors, Shirley Jackson and Nathaniel Hawthorne, both frequently use

symbols within their stories "The Lottery" and "Young Goodman Brown." Symbols

are utilized as an enhancement tool to stress the theme of each story. Hawthorne

uses names and objects to enhance the theme, and Jackson mainly utilizes names

to stress the theme, although she does have one object as a symbol of great

importance to the theme. The stories both contain symbols describing evil. The

majority of Hawthorne's symbols describe religion (both good and evil), but

Jackson's symbols reflect the evil nature within society as a whole. There

exists symbolic acts in each story. The short stories both share the use of

symbols, but the symbols are used to express different thoughts in ones mind

while reading them.

The stories "Young Goodman Brown" and "The Lottery" both use names as

symbols. Hawthorne uses the names Young Goodman Brown and Faith to portray nice,

descent people. The name Faith alone implies a faithful and Christian

individual as stated "And Faith, as the wife was aptly named," (211). Jackson

uses the name Mr. Graves throughout her story, he is the coordinator of the

lottery. She needs not give any explanation to the name, as it speaks for itself

(a symbol of death). Various other names are used as symbols within each story,

however, these mentioned are the most significant names to the theme. The

stories each contain names, objects, and acts as important symbols.

Hawthorne uses the names to stress good people, but relies heavily on

objects to portray Satanism. The object of obvious Satanism is the staff (a

cane) mentioned throughout the story. It is clearly identified when the old

traveler throws it down in the sentence "it assumed life, being one of the rods

which its owner had formerly lent to the Egyptian Magi" (215). According to

the Bible. sorcerers with magic powers change their rods into serpents. Jackson

uses the black box throughout her story as a symbol of tradition not to be

changed as stated "Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking

about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without