The Lottery: Symbolism

The Lottery: Symbolism

Essay submitted by Kerri Gun

In "The Lottery," Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to make us aware of the pointless

nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. The story starts off on a beautiful

summer day in a small town. The author describes the day as very euphoric but strikes a

contrast between the atmosphere of the town and the atmosphere of the people gathered

in the square. The atmosphere is subdued, where the children are "gathered around

quietly."

The black box is the central theme or idea in the story. It symbolizes at first some type of

mystery, but as we read the ending we realize that it is synonymous with doom.

Someone's fate lies in an inanimate object, the black box. We do not always enjoy

change, even if it might prove beneficial to us. The box is symbolic of our loathing of

change; it is old and splintered showing that we cling to what is familiar rather than

change and it also symbolizes the traditions of the community. No one in the little town

questions the origin of the black box, but accept it as an intrical part of their lives.

The lottery itself is symbolic of the paradox of the human psyche between compassion on

one hand and the thirst for violence and cruelty on the other. An example of this is when

the children are enjoying a break from school, playing and being children, and suddenly

they are being joined by "rational" adults in stoning a mother to death. It appears that

tradition has blinded these people in an irrational way, making them unable to think of a

reason why this possibly should not be happening.

When forced