Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is a short story about a villages tradition of a lottery that leads to the death of a town member. Jackson uses literary elements such as symbolism throughout the story to convey the message of how cruel people in a society can be towards each other.
In "The Lottery", Shirley Jackson uses symbolism of a Tessie Hutchinson, black box, and Old Man Warner to strengthen the theme of tradition and corruption within human society.
Tessie Hutchinson, a villager, symbolizes the injustice of the lottery tradition in her village. In the beginning of the story, Tessie's character is introduced by her almost being late to the lottery. She states "Clean forgot what day it was… ", this statement shows that the lottery tradition