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Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

950 Words4 Pages

In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” a small town takes part in a wicked ritual that is performed each year to sacrifice the life of one of the villagers. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a very unexpected and vivid story that builds up tension throughout the story and leaves readers shocked by the outcome of the ending. Throughout the story, the reader can expect great use of symbolism, irony, and the tradition's value toward the villagers. Reading “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson makes one reconsider the importance of understanding symbolism in literature. Throughout the story, “The Lottery” uses many forms of symbolism that help the reader further understand the story. For example, “The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was …show more content…

The lottery is a long-lasting tradition in the small town that revolves around the communities annual ritual of stoning one of its members to death, this is an essential part of their culture and history. The people in the village have come to accept it as part of their culture, and they see it as something that must be done every year. For example, Old man warner says, “There's always been a lottery,” (Jackson 3) indicating that the lottery has always been a part of their lives. One example of the importance of the tradition is the honor with which the people treat the black box. The black box is described as a symbol of the town's history. When Mr. Summers suggested replacing the old black box with a new one, the villagers did not like that idea saying that that box had always been used for the lottery and it would be disrespectful to replace it. This commitment to tradition demonstrates how strong and deeply embedded it can be in a culture, to the point that individuals defend it even when they have no real grasp of where it came from or why it exists. One of the main reasons the people of the village perform this ritual and are so loyal to the tradition is because they believe that if they perform this ritual every year it will ensure a good harvest. This deep commitment, loyalty, and belief to bring a good harvest to the community goes to show the value and how important this tradition is to the

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The black box symbolizes the evil and violence that is hidden within their tradition of the lottery. This is made clear through many quotes in the story including this, “The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained” (Jackson 2). When knowing the symbolism is there the deeper meaning behind the quote is clear. The box itself is very old and faded, which imply the tradition is ancient and has been passed down from generation to generation, like the tradition itself. If the reader thinks of the box in the same way they’d think of any other tradition, it helps visualize the message the author is trying to convey Many more symbols can seen in this story, this just being an example of

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