Tradition And Symbolism In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

“Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay"(Jiddu Krishnamurti).The lottery is a story about horror and what can happen about having tradition for too long. What I think Shirley Jackson wants us to learn about this story is to not have a tradition for so long, be smart about my choices and not to do things that I know that are not good. Shirley Jackson wrote poetry and kept journals throughout her life. “Shirley Jackson was born in San Francisco on December 14, 1919. She grew up in California until 1933, when her family moved to Rochester, New York. In 1934 Jackson enrolled at the University of Rochester.”(Moss, Wilson). The villagers woke up on the day of the lottery. They all meet at the town center and

One example of symbolism is the Black Box.”The villagers kept their distance from the black box” (Shriley, Jackson). This quote relates to the theme of tradition because of the hesitation of getting near the box makes it seem that the box might be something more than just a lottery ticket holder that it might have more value. “Although the black box is old, the villagers are unwilling to change it”(Wilson). This quote relates to my theme because the black box has been a tradition for them for a long time. Even though the box is old and worn out, they still use it. Mainly because they are used to it, and many people don't like change. This is why many traditions that are passed down are bad, and the people of that tradition might not notice, because they are used to it and don't like

One example of irony in the book is the lottery. “The lottery was conducted , just like the all the other celebrations in the town” (Shirley, Jackson). This quote relates to the theme because this quote makes us think that the lottery is a happy and fun time of the year, that something good will happen if the person wins the lottery. But what eventually turned out was the lottery being a bad and terrible thing, and someone dying at the end.“The events of the story are related in a matter-of-fact and objective way”(Wilson). This quote relates to the theme because when you think about the lottery you think someone is going to win something, a big prize that will make the winner extremely happy, but in this story it is the opposite. The winner of the lottery doesn't win a nice prize. What the winner gets is people throwing stones at