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Archetypal Symbols In The Lottery

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The Graceless Tradition Each year, murder is committed and supported by the villagers as part of an uncivilized tradition. The inhabitants of the village watch in suspense as their family members make their way to the stage, unaware that the lottery could pick any one of them. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson uses archetypal symbols to highlight the barbaric nature of society when people follow and outdated tradition. Jackson uses various archetypal patterns to highlight the significance of the symbols. Firstly, the lottery serves as an archaic tradition, and the black box represents a ritual with death as the outcome. In addition, a loss of innocence is evident as the boys collect stones for the lottery and when little Davy Hutchinson is given a stone to throw at his mother. …show more content…

The lottery is a merciless tradition that has been inherited from generations past. This becomes noticeable as Old Man Warner petulantly argues that “there's always been a lottery” (Jackson). The villagers do not want to give up what they are accustomed to even though it means that someone is going to die. The primitive nature of the villagers stems back to generations ago when the lottery was practiced. Moreover, the black box is one of the only remaining artifacts that connects the villagers to their tradition. The black box represents death in the community as society will not abandon their custom. This is emphasized as the narrator notes “no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box” (Jackson). The color of the box is symbolic because it represents an evil tendency resulting in death. Even though the black box is decrepit, the villagers do not feel comfortable giving it up as it is part of their

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In her Story, The Lottery, Shirley Jackson uses attention to detail. Many of the seeming less unconscious details throughout the story foreshadows the gruesome conclusion. In the second paragraph, the kids are seen putting stones in their pockets and making a pile of them. This act is seen as innocent play because a child’s natural tendency is to be mischievous. However, when school ends, they seem uneasy because they know what the stones will be used for.

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Traditions: Proceed With Caution Blowing out the candles on a birthday cake or waiting for presents on Christmas eve are harmless rituals, but not all traditions are so benign. In the 1948 short story, “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson establishes that traditions can often be presumed to be virtuous; however, they can involve unethical practices which have no place in society. Through the use of archetypes, Jackson highlights this concept by displaying patterns and symbols in an ancient and barbaric tradition. In this world, citizens gather once a year to choose a single person from the community to be stoned to death, in hopes of receiving bountiful crops for their sacrifice. Brutal as the ritual is, the public remains aloof to the cruelty involved.

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The box had been splintered badly along the side because of the carelessness of the villagers over the years. The chips of wood that used to be used were now paper slips. “So much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded…”(104). As time passed by, the lottery was less of an importance to the village, therefore the original tradition slowly faded away. Even after all of the changes made in the tradition, the lottery was consequently as powerful as it always had been.

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For example, the black box symbolizes tradition, culture and an annual ritual. According to the book, when they described the condition of the black box, the villagers stated that it was a traditional box that would not be replaced even though the box is no longer completely black but splintered badly on one side to show the original color, while in some other parts of the box is faded or stained. In Kathleen Wilson’s article, she states that although the black box is old and shabby, the village refuses to replace it just like they refuse to stop participating in the annual lottery pick. Another example is the use of name as symbols. For example, Mr. Summers’ name is said to represent joviality while Mr. Graves’s name represents tragedy.

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Most of the villagers are startled by the black box. When Mr. Summers first appeared with The Black Box they, “kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool and when Mr. Summers said, ‘Some of you fellows want to give me a hand?’ there was hesitation before two men, Mr. Martin and his oldest son, Baxter, came forward…” (Jackson 1) Before Mr. Summers brings the box into the town square the atmosphere and happy vibrant, but once The Black Box is presented the atmosphere drastically changes as if the villagers then realize, one of is going to die today. This idea is further present when Mr. Summers asks if anyone could give him a hand.

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The Lottery itself represents a primal example of loss of innocence; portrayed through the young boys who gather at the town square to collect rocks for the horrors soon to follow. An illustration of how traditions can lose their true meanings and come to represent violence and warfare. Furthermore, “The Lottery” also represents the decaying characteristics of traditions, as symbolized by the town’s black box, in this case where every year, someone’s name is drawn out of the black box and they are stoned to death, by other members who may or may not end up to be family. Nonetheless, it ends up to be the villagers who

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In her story "The Lottery", Shirley Jackson implies the negative consequences of blindly following tradition through the acceptance, by the villagers, of the tradition of the lottery. Jackson suggests that the people of the village are afraid to give up the little tradition they have, even if it is not good. Every year after the lottery, the conductor of the lottery, Mr. Summers suggests that they should build a new box but, “No one [likes] to upset even as much tradition as [is] represented by the box.” (Jackson, 1). The black box symbolizes ritual and tradition.

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However, the townspeople just brush off the subject and nothing gets done. The reason why the villagers do not want to make a new box is because “no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box. ”1 With that reason, readers can infer that the townspeople do not want to give up their tradition. If they are reluctant on changing

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