Techniques Used In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

Shirley Jackson’s “The lottery” is a story based on tradition. When hearing the word tradition, most people think of team rituals before games, or something families do together annually. However, Jackson is obviously not like most people. She builds up a fair amount of tension around this ritual that is taking place to make readers wonder what is going on. She uses many different techniques to show that sometimes, traditions are not always meant to go on forever. The three techniques she used that were most prominent are symbolism, irony, and diction. Symbolism is very important to the story, because Jackson uses it to help express the situation in different ways. The two demonstrations of symbolism that stand out the most are the three legged stool that the black box sits on, and the box itself. In the story, the villagers are very hesitant to be around the stool. They know it is used for their annual ritual- which they are cautious about as well. As for the box, it is vividly described, hinting around the

“The Lottery” is a use of irony itself. Usually when hearing lottery, something good comes to mind, which is why the title is very misleading. She creates a lot of suspense while leading up to what actually happens, because in reality something really devastating comes from this tradition. Also, the entire reason the lottery even started was forgotten. However, the villagers did not forget how to use the stones. Sometimes, traditions are not always meant to be carried on. Especially when they become outdated. Jackson writes, “Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use the stones.” This is stating that they were not even doing it for the original reason. They were only doing it because they were so set on traditions. People can act terribly and not even realize they are doing it because it is so