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Symbolism In Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery'

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“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson was published on June 26, 1948. Some of her other works include “The Haunting of Hill House”, “Hangsaman”, And “The Sundial”. Jackson is known for many things but mostly for her Horror/Mystery stories as they are known to captivate the reader. Shirley Jackson is a very prolific author because she to brings a unique form of writing to her readers. This is seen through her many novels and short stories as the reader is greeted with something new in each one. “The Lottery” is no exception to this as it entails all of Jacksons best attributes. “The Lottery” depicts that all that glitters is not gold and tradition can be detrimental. The lottery begins on a summer day with all the villagers gathering in the town …show more content…

“The lottery opens on a clear, sunny summer morning at the end of June” (Bloom). Pg 1. Jackson uses this weather to symbolize peace and serenity in the village. Jackson wants to trick the reader into believing the lottery is something good that is to be looked forward to where as it is the complete opposite. Another way Jackson uses symbolism to deceive the reader is here “Mr. Summers was very good at all this; in his white shirt and blue jeans.” (Jackson). Pg 1. Jackson uses clothing as a symbol, the color white symbolizes purity and peace but this is also a way Jackson tricks the reader. As he is the most powerful man in the village he is unaffected by the lottery. He wears the white shirt and blue jeans not because he is a calm, peaceful, and pure man but because it is used to display his immunity from the cruel tradition that he coordinates every year. Mr. Summers and his wife run the lottery every year but are never made to pick out of the box because of their status in the community. This is a very important addition to the …show more content…

This element is used to give the reader an idea of where the events of the story are taking place. “Before 10 am on June 27, the three hundred inhabitants of a small village in New England start gathering at town square.” (Dubois). Pg 2. This is a perfect quote to describe where the story is taking place and what is precedes the events of the lottery. As seen all the inhabitants of the village gather in town square to participate in this taboo ritual known as the lottery. The people of the village are bound to this event by tradition as it takes place every year. It seen as is something that must be done, and Jackson saves the importance of the setting for the end of the story. The setting is also Emphasized by Jackson in the story. “The people began to gather in the square. Between the post office and the bank” (Jackson). Pg 1. Once again the setting of the event is used to build suspense in the reader for what is about to take place. Jackson wants the reader to know how important the event is in the community by making it into a grand gathering of sorts. The revelation for what is actually about to happen is saved till the end of the story to surprise the

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Usually there’s a winner in a lottery, but not in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. This story intrigued me by it's suspenseful nature and it's chaotic events. In small town America, they come together once a year to perform an annual tradition. Mrs. Jackson demonstrates literary devices such as foreshadowing, mood, and conflict in “The Lottery”. Foreshadowing is used quite a few times in “The Lottery”.

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Shirley Jackson a very popular author well known for her short story called “The lottery” which always leaves the reader thinking. “The Lottery” was published on June 28, 1948 which is just weeks after it was written. Some other pieces written by Jackson are “The Haunting of Hill House”, “We have always lived in the castle” as well as “Life among the savages”. Jackson tends to write about horror and mystery and has many other pieces with supernatural themes. Many pieces written by Jackson have a small-town setting that end with horror.

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In 1948, when the New Yorker published Shirley Jacksons piece, “The Lottery,” it sparked outrage among readers, but could arguably be known as one of her most famous pieces of writing. In this short story, Shirley Jackson used literally elements such as imagery, diction, and symbolism to foreshadow the negative and harsh ending of the story; the harsh ending that sparked such outrage by society in the 1940’s. One of the main ways Jackson foreshadows the ending and true meaning of her short story, “The Lottery,” is through symbolism. Jackson uses the color black throughout the story.

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The short story “The Lottery” is written by Shirley Jackson. This story takes place in a small village where everybody knows each other. In this story all the villagers gather around town for their annual lottery. Everyone in the village is compelled to follow this tradition even if the outcome ends up with someone dying. In “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson uses conflict, theme, and irony to develop this suspenseful short story.

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What is life after death? Since the beginning of time, many people have wondered what happens after death. I chose to read and provide a synopsis of the chapter “Life After Death” by William L. Rowe. There are four main parts discussed in the chapter: the varieties of immortality, the meaningfulness of immortality, the case for immortality, and the case against immortality. By the end of this synopsis, I will explain a better understanding of whether or not we can believe there is life after death.

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The tension also comes from the unanswered question about the purpose of “The Lottery”. The main focus about this disturbing short story is the purpose of the villager’s culture, which Jackson withholds the answer from the audience to portray the strain of her anxiety. Jackson’s idea of foreshadowing that supports the ongoing tradition is vacuous goes hand in and with the role of

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“The Lottery’s” opening lines read: “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 309). From this line, one can conclude that Jackson is trying to portray the village as a quaint and nice place where townsfolk gather, and no harm occurs. However, this strays far from the truth. As the story continues, the gathering abruptly changes and ultimately leads the townspeople to commit violence and murder.

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also it seemed like she was trying to avoid showing up to the lottery .Therefore it is obvious that she doesn’t even want to be there which hints that there is something dark behind the Lottery. Jackson’s use of foreshadowing in “The Lottery” contributed to the story by hinting that there is something much darker and eerier than we expect about this village and its tradition of the

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While real life traditions are rarely so extreme, Jackson’s exaggerated fictional example emphasizes her point to great effect. By the end of the story, the audience is convinced that the town is wrong to uphold the lottery tradition, but Jackson is not really writing about a lottery; she is writing about how damaging it can

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The Symbolism of The Lottery One big symbol that the short story is discreet about is the black box that is repeated throughout the short story symbolizes fear to adults which could affect even the most innocent. The black box appears to be the only paraphernalia that is still being used in the tradition of having a lottery. Mr. Summers is the one who is running the lottery at the time. Mr. Summers is seen as a nice man, however, when he is introduced, he is seen with the black box. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story that uses the black box as a symbol to convey an underlying message that when the power of a tradition is given to a person, it could lead a crumbling society.

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In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the author has demonstrated each symbol and the meaning that holds behind them. The black box is culturally known as a dark and evil color. It represents the fate of the people in town, and the three-legged stool is used as a support for the black box to lay on top of the object. Stoning is ancient.

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Full of plot twists, and turns, “The Lottery” relies on its characters to convey a sense of normalcy throughout a majority of the story. The villagers’ acceptance of rituals allows them to act normal while knowingly partaking in a deadly tradition. Jackson’s brilliant use of deceptiveness leaves readers blind sighted as one could never predict this story’s outcome. Jackson’s work is renowned because of its unpredictable shift in tone. June 27, may appear to be a pleasant summer day, but this prediction could not be further from the truth.

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The tradition of the lottery has been carried out for so long in this village that nobody even knows the reason for its occurring in the first place and nobody questions it. When Old Man Warner, the oldest man in the village, is told about other villages giving up the tradition of the lottery, he says that they are, “[A] pack of crazy fools [...]. There [has] always been a lottery [...]” (Jackson, 4). There is no reason why there has always been a lottery except that every year on June 27th, they held the lottery.

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This indicates that the tradition has been going on for so long, the people that grow up with this find it normal to be done. The old man who criticized the other towns that grew tired of the Lottery has been used to seeing the Lottery around for so long and had actually supported the reason behind it. Next to the rocks in symbolism was the stool as well as the black box. The black box which was used to draw the pieces of paper symbolizes the key between life and death.

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