The Lottery By Shirley Jackson Literary Analysis

In June of the year 1948, “The Lottery” was published in the New Yorker newspaper by author, Shirley Jackson. It is considered to be one of the most haunting and shocking short stories of modern American literature. This was the first short story that Jackson wrote that received widespread criticism and complaints from the public due to the shocking turn of events in the story’s plot. Author Shirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1919, to an upper-middle-class family and as a child, struggled deeply with her self-esteem and appearance due to her mother’s criticism. She was known to have battled with emotional and physical issues, such as anxiety, claustrophobia, and obesity. During times in her life, she also relied on alcohol and prescription

As the story first begins, the reader is introduced to the lottery as a yearly occurrence in which all three-hundred villagers are required to attend in the town square. In this story, winning the lottery is ironically a negative thing, when in today’s society a lottery is a prize that awards you a large amount of money. In the introduction Jackson describes the weather to be very warm and sunny with the “flowers blossoming and the grass being rich and green.” This statement is very ironic due to the fact that Jackson describes the day as being very beautiful and calm, when in reality a barbaric ritual would be occurring later that day. The objects in the piece of literature also represent religious and symbolic meaning to the lottery. In the beginning, the readers are made aware that the children are “stuffing their pockets” with “smooth, round stones.” The children participating in the savage murders displays to readers that they mindlessly and blindly conform to the traditions of the elders, finding regularity in even murderous rituals without questioning the true intent. This is also a foreshadowing of the stoning because it gives the readers a hint to what may be occurring during the ritual. Another symbol, the black box, that is used to draw pieces of paper for the lottery, holds the answer between life or death for every villager in the town. Even the color of the box is a universal symbol for death and evil. In the scholarly article, “Shirley Jackson’s Use of Symbols in ‘The Lottery,’ English professor, Danielle Schaub explains that the “black wooden box, the three-legged stool, [and] the slips of paper for drawing lots combine the idea of death, rebirth, and unexpected destructiveness and fertility.” The box is a representation of “the