Symbolism In The Lottery

Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery is unquestionably a phenomenal, prestigious piece of fiction. Her short story depicted unusual, unreal, and bizarre events in common settings. In fact, Jackson wrote the story in only two hours and submitted it to “The New Yorker” (Roberts 140). Without major revisions, the story became a success and made many readers question the common traditions of time. In The Lottery, an annual sacrifice ceremony is held in a small town in which a selected person will get stoned and killed. In this selection, there are many appearances of symbolism. Some include the lottery “game” itself, the black box, and the characters. These symbols are used to enhance the theme of the story and create an ironic and suspenseful ending.

Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” focusses mostly on the customs associated with a small town. At the beginning the town gathers together to have their annual lottery. This is arranged by “families and households, women being assigned to the households of their husbands” (Oehlschlaeger). The lottery is conducted by Mr. Summers every year, he “[reads] the names- head of families first – and the men come up and take a paper out of the box” (Jackson). The man who drew the black dot would then have to have each person in his family draw again. Whoever drew the black dot this time would be stoned to death by the entire village. At first, this story seems like a fairy tale; it appears the winner of the lottery will receive some sort of jack pot. However, the person who is perceived as the winner is actually the loser. The theme of Jackson’s story is that social traditions that are practiced and accepted in this small town can have destructive consequences. This theme is developed by the symbolic objects and evolving of the characters throughout the story.

Symbol of Death “The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson in 1948, is a provoking piece of literature about a town that continues a tradition of stoning, despite not know why the ritual started in the first place. As Jackson sets the scene, the villagers seem ordinary; but seeing that winning the lottery is fatal, the villagers are then viewed as murders by the reader. Disagreeing with the results of the lottery, Tessie Hutchinson is exposed to an external conflict between herself and the town. Annually on June 27th, the villagers gather to participate in the lottery. Every head of household, archetypally male, draws for the fate of their family, but Tessie protests as she receives her prize of a stoning after winning the lottery.

The Lottery, a gothic short story written by Shirley Jackson, illustrates a fantasy about a small and isolated community that takes part in a sacrificial ritual that can only be described as vile and barbaric. Names of all of the citizens are put in a “black box” and eventually, a person is randomly selected to be stoned to death by their own family and fellow citizens. The reason for stoning, or the beliefs of the citizens, is to ensure there is a good crop yield for the year. Shirley Jackson uses the story to expose the subtle brutality in humanity and the dangers in social insecurities that lead to blind faith and following in traditions and cultures. Jackson uses plot and setting to illustrate the subtle brutality in humanity. Characters

Every year, the lottery is held, and every year a person is killed. Each villager neglects to acknowledge the unjustness of the lottery and continue to participate because of the tradition it represents in their society. The lottery was a cultural tradition passed down from the very first settlers of the village. It makes up a huge part of the village’s history and culture. The villagers pay recognition to their culture by continuing the tradition of the lottery even though the lottery is not morally right. On page 93 it states, “There was a proper swearing-in of Mr. Summers by the postmaster, as the official of the lottery; at one time, some people remembered, there had been a recital of some sort, performed by the official of the lottery, a perfunctory tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year… There had been, also, a ritual salute, which the official of the lottery had had to use in addressing each person who came to draw from the box…” This quote shows the tribal-like rituals and traditions associated with the lottery. Through the years, some of the rituals of the lottery were lost, but the main elements of the lottery remained the same. The idea behind the lottery was that the ancestors, of the villagers, believed that human sacrifice would bring in good harvest. This led to the development and continuation

Typically, when someone thinks of a lottery they think of something positive and exciting but contrary to this idea in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, the connotation has an entirely different meaning. As the story begins, readers lean towards the belief that the town in which Jackson depicts is filled with happiness and joy. “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green” (Jackson 247) We soon realize that this notion is far from the truth. As the townspeople gather in the square for the annual lottery, which sole purpose is to stone someone to death by randomly pulling a paper out of a black box with a black dot on it, it is learned

On a summer day in June, villagers gathered to participate in the yearly lottery which was run by Mr. Summers because “lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.”(Jackson 1868). The children came in first picking some stones fallowed by their parents. Mrs. Hutchinson arrives late and begins to chat with Mrs. Delacroix then the lottery begins. Mr. Summers starts to call up the men of the house hold up to the black box to draw a piece of paper which would determine who wins the lottery. It is the Hutchinson family that gets picked this year. Mrs. Hutchinson insists that her husband didn’t have enough time to pick. As the family goes up to go draw once more, Mrs. Hutchison is still protesting. Once all of them draw, it is Mrs. Hutchinson that is the winner of the lottery. As the villagers cage her in against the wall, she keeps on insetting that “it’s not fair,” but it’s too late because she is already being stoned to death by not only the villagers but also by her family as well.

The Lottery Symbolism In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" symbols are used to enhance and stress the theme of the story. A symbol is a person, object, action, place, or event that in addition to its literal meaning, suggests a more complex meaning or range of meanings. (Kirszner & Mendell 330) The theme of the story is how coldness and lack of compassion can be exhibited in people in situations regarding tradition and values.

“The Lottery” is a short story about an event that takes place every year in a small village of New England. When the author speaks of “the lottery” he is referencing the lottery of death; this is when the stoning of a village member must give up his or her life. The villagers gather at a designated area and perform a customary ritual which has been practiced for many years. The Lottery is a short story about a tradition that the villagers are fully loyal to and represents a behavior or idea that has been passed down from generation to generation, accepting and following a rule no matter how cruel or illogical it is. Friends and family become insignificant the moment it is time to stone the unlucky victim.

In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” the theme of the story is dramatically illustrated by Jackson’s unique tone. Once a year the villagers gather together in the central square for the lottery. The villagers await the arrival of Mr. Summers and the black box. Within the black box are folded slips of paper, one piece having a black dot on it. All the villagers then draw a piece of paper out of the box. Whoever gets the paper with the black dot wins. Tessie Hutchinson wins the lottery! Everyone then closes in on her and stones her to death. Tessie Hutchinson believes it is not fair because she was picked. The villagers do not know why the lottery continues to exist. All they know is that it is a tradition they are not willing to abandon. In “The Lottery,” Jackson portrays three main themes including tradition, treason, and violence.