Allegory And Irony In Jackson's The Lottery

Steven Baynes

Martin M/W

English 101

2/1/16

Short Story Analysis: The Lottery

In The Lottery, Shirley Hardie Jackson uses symbolism, allegory, and irony to advance the theme of the human mind as it struggles to come to terms with death in life in the midst of tradition.

A main element of writing of The Lottery by Ms. Jackson is symbolism. The symbolism that winning the lottery is always good for the winner and provides some sort of benefit or prize. As well as an annual event that celebrates a bountiful harvest, a celebration by the town’s people with no discernable idea of what it means or what is about to occur. Participation is a ritual and mandatory for all community members where all are eager to play from community to household to individual. Few people seem to object to the tradition, few question the ritualistic stoning of the “winner” the cruelest of the cruelest ways to die and ways for anyone to kill another human being. A person must be within a few feet to really make their rock count, they must look at and acknowledge the individual and throw the stone with purpose and forethought without any hesitation or remorse. A barbaric ritual, at best. That people can do this to each other, year after

Those stones will kill Tessie as part of a superstition-driven yearly ritual that is done as means to ensure good crops. The old saying, "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon" (215) is the mantra that keeps this tradition alive. While the people in this town have an inkling that this traditional or ritual is going out of favor in other towns, they keep it alive out of a sense of tradition. The fact that everyone in the town must participate in the eventual stoning is important as it serves to eliminate any one person from being guilty of killing the winner of the