Symbolism In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

Words: 491
Pages: 2
Open Document
Shirley Jackson’s fictional short story, “The Lottery,” contains both obvious and hidden symbols leading to the stories collective mentality theme. The stories flat and empty characters appear to the audience as everyday small-town people, but their surnames deserve a second glance. A stool and a box are nothing out of the ordinary, at least not the first time around, and as readers experience Jackson’s shock factor, they will take note of their symbolic nature. Each symbol, abundantly scattered throughout the story, establishes Jackson’s theme of breaking the conformity of outdated traditions by questioning their worthiness instead of blindly following the flock.
Held in June, the lottery is an annual sacrificial ritual where the traditional …show more content…
“The three-legged stool” takes its place “in the center of the square,” where the villagers gather for the lottery, “and Mr. Summers sets the black box down on it.” Examining Jackson’s emphasis on the stool reveals that each of the three legs symbolizes a member of the Holy Trinity, a belief held by many Christians. The townspeople’s keen awareness of the stools supernatural power is evident as they “keep their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool” and they will not approach the stool without hesitation. The stool leads to the next symbolic object, the box itself, representing the towns outdated barbaric traditions. The “black wooden box” is a replacement for “the original paraphernalia for the lottery,” because the original “had been lost long ago,” and even though the timeworn box is a replacement, “no one liked to upset even as much tradition as” the box currently represents because it “had been made with some pieces of the box that had proceeded it” (Jackson 251). The symbolization of the box leading to an outdated ritualistic tradition which holds the fate of the townspeople within it. Together, the stool holding up the box, symbolizing the belief that the Holy Trinity holds the fate to each believer’s life, signifying the importance of the box sitting upon the stool.
Show More

Related Documents: Symbolism In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

Irony And Symbolism In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

Shirley Jackson enlightens readers about the perils of blindly following traditions via exposing the rituals within “The Lottery” as antiquated through her adoption of the literary elements foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism. As the author employs foreshadowing, a gift to readers to foresee what lays ahead, readers must relate to the clues provided if they desire an insight as to what is to come. Likewise, much like the protagonist Tessie Hutchinson, people can go through life without paying attention…

Words 262 - Pages 2

Foreshadowing In The Lottery

One of the greatest dark novelist tries to influence the reader of believing the bloody and murderous acts that people do to create chaos. Shirley Jackson utilizes foreshadowing, symbolism, and imagery in her short story. Through an analysis of Jackson's use of foreshadowing, symbolism, and imagery, she shows the reader of how dark and emo the world may be. Jackson utilizes foreshadowing by going future hints of what's going to happen in the story for the readers to start thinking of what's going…

Words 567 - Pages 3

Essay on TheLotteryDecember5th

a ladder. Oftentimes people follow superstitions so much that they become rituals. This idea is seen in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Ms. Jackson develops her short story using symbols, such as names, objects, numbers and specific times in the setting to further the idea that superstitions overtime become rituals. Ms. Jackson uses a network of allegorical symbolism in “The Lottery” to build around a severe commentary of how tradition works in American culture. Tradition both as a means of…

Words 2280 - Pages 10

Similarities Between Charles And The Lottery

“Charles” and “The Lottery,” are fictional stories with some similarities and differences. The similarities will be exploited as well as the differences, and the strategies Shirley Jackson used to enhance her stories. There are many similarities in these two stories, but these few are some that are more obvious. First, dialogue, not all stories have dialogue but Jackson’s do. Although they both share the fact of dialogue, these stories use dialogue in different ways. Like, “The Lottery” uses dialogue…

Words 352 - Pages 2

Mending Wall And The Lottery

the other hand, Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery”, is a story that depicts the village’s idea of a tradition. The people assembled and drew from the black box. The person who grabbed the paper with the black mark on it would be stoned to death, along with a member of their family. While some of the people like the idea of keeping the tradition around, others want it gone. Both Robert Frost and Shirley Jackson use symbolism and irony throughout “Mending Wall” and “The Lottery” to emphasize…

Words 874 - Pages 4

The Lottery Argumentative Essay

Shirley Jackson’s controversial piece The Lottery has been described as one of the greatest works of the twentieth century. It has been regarded as both confusing by some and brilliant by others. At first glance the short story seems to be a simple take on how unchecked tradition and power can make people go blind to the injustices they commit. However, Jackson’s rich use of symbolism paints a clear picture that The Lottery is reflective of the Gospel. Every society needs a scapegoat, someone to…

Words 684 - Pages 3

Essay on The Lottery

In Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery,” one of the main characters is Mr. Summers. “The lottery was conducted--as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program--by Mr. Summers.” Summers might be the busy body of the village, but he is not the protagonist of the story. Because he represents the status quo situation in the village, his presence in the story is one of the most significant symbols of “The Lottery.” Summers represents blind adherence to ritual, as he is in charge…

Words 647 - Pages 3

Literary Analysis Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

Literary Analysis “the Lottery” We have all seen everyday violence and the ignorance of the human race following tradition, since tradition is always being followed we always don´t want to be the ones to break it, leaving to the fact that tradition is always followed and changed and twisted but never completely disappears.One of the characters learns this in the story ¨The Lottery¨ by Shirley Jackson in which Tessie Hutchinson,a housewife, wins the town lottery, what she wins is a stoning killing…

Words 643 - Pages 3

Tradiotion or Cruelty Essay

Tradition or Cruelty "The Lottery," a short story written by Shirley Jackson, is a tale about a disturbing social practice. The setting takes place in a small village consisting of about three hundred towns people. On June twenty-seventh of every year, the members of this traditional community hold a village-wide lottery in which everyone is expected to participate. Throughout the story, the reader gets an odd feeling regarding the residents and their annual practice. As the story begins,…

Words 752 - Pages 4

Traditions In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

think about the lottery, they see it as the answer to their problems. In the past this hasn’t been entirely true. Many past lottery winners say that winning the lottery ruined their lives. The lottery can’t ruin you life, if it takes it. In Shirley Jackson’s, “The Lottery” , she writes about a small town that holds a lottery every year. The “winner” is stoned to death by the rest of the town. This is a tradition that has been around longer than the oldest man in town. Jackson’s use of foreshadowing…

Words 644 - Pages 3