What Does Tess Symbolize In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

Many writers use literature as a way to write about current issues in their time period in a euphonious way; a way to talk about the issues without directly mentioning them. Shirley Jackson illustrates the underrated issues in an ancient traditional society in "The Lottery." In the short story, "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, the author uses meaningful symbols throughout the story to connect the historical and social influence of the town.

One form of symbolism in the story is found in the character's names. In literature, many characters are given a name for a specific reason. Some of these characters could be minor characters we as readers overlook or major characters and we do not notice the importance in their name. Jackson used particular

Not only is she the protagonist of the story, but she is also the scapegoat as well. By acting as the protagonist and scapegoat, the reader has conflicting views of the character. Just like Santiago Nasar in "A Chronicle of a Death Foretold" by Garcia Marquez, Santiago was not a good person, yet by being murdered to brutally and unfairly, the reader sympathized with him and turned their frustration towards the townspeople. This same phenomenon is exhibited in the final moments of the story and of Tessie's life; she clearly was a selfish person when the odds were stacked against her, yet the reader sees her as a victim of a society's crime. Another similarity between the Tessie and Santiago is they were both a scapegoat for the sole purpose of cleansing their towns of sin. When Tessie drew the black dot she was the only one who seemed to be disturbed by the results, her own husband was willing to pry the cloth from her hand and show the audience she drew the black dot, with no remorse. While viewed as a scapegoat, Tessie also symbolizes the role of another goat, the goat that was brought to be sacrificed to Jehovah as a sin offering (Cervo). Though the idea of Tessie functioning as a scapegoat is present in the story, it is supported after she has been murdered and the townspeople carry on as if everything is balanced and acceptable. The town truly believes that killing Tessie was reasonable as long as they killed her for the better of the