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Miriam Waddington And The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

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In “The Hallowe’en Party” by Miriam Waddington and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, symbols are used to enhance the importance of traditions. It is inevitable to say that “The Hallowe’en Party” is a major symbol itself. The party represents togetherness; a time for friends to get together, leaving cultural clichés aside. Mr. Luria is opposed to his children from going to the party, but even he has to give in because after all, “… [they will] only remember the fun they had at MacNeils” (Waddington, para 34). The excitement described by David goes on to reveal that they indeed had a pleasant time; hence, also evolving Mr. Luria’s views. “The Lottery” is a great example of the antithesis of “The Hallowe’en Party”, since the former symbolizes estrangement whereas the latter embodies unity. The Lottery symbolizes estrangement. It suggests how effortlessly the society can forget a person, no matter how close because of an atrocious tradition. The people of the village have come to acknowledge the custom as something they do to amuse themselves; losing the real meaning of The Lottery. The children in the story have no background information about the tradition, yet insanely, they are the first ones to get “… the pile of stones…ready” (Jackson, p 51). The stones go on to suggest the cruelty of the people of the village as it provides a slow and painful death. “The Lottery” demonstrates how a tradition that drives the society can be completely forgotten through the years. While

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