Writers always hide meanings behind their literary works. Many times they are hard to notice at first glance or sight, however, if you look carefully they play a key role in understanding a story. Shirley Jackson's used symbolism in order to allow the reader to see what was wrong with the lottery being done in the town, where it holds a double meaning itself. The lottery itself and the black box are two of the symbols used by the author to represent the ideas followed in the town. The lottery is an event that takes place every year in the village. In our society, a lottery is view as a chance at being able to improve your life and look forward to by many. It also symbolizes the tradition followed by not only the villagers but also society as a whole. In America, the 4th of July is a tradition that almost if not everyone follows and is accepted without a doubt. In addition, the black box is another symbol used to represent the traditions followed by the town. It is clearly illustrated when Jackson …show more content…
The author mentions how the villages children go collecting stones after school and fill their pockets with them along with the adults. It symbolizes that is a tradition that’is followed by everyone not just the old generation but even the younger ones. The stones symbolize how everyone is allowed to participate in the tradition and how it's not just one person who throws the stone and follows the tradition but many. Also, the stones symbolize death itself for the villagers. It is the stones that they used in order to execute whoever is the winner of the lottery. Last but not least, it also shows how is not something far from tradition followed by religious groups. In the past different religious groups used stoning to get rid of those that have done something wrong. By doing so symbolizing some of the wrongdoings committed by people who followed certain religious