Shirley Jackson Literary Devices

In Jackson’s “The Lottery” (1948), she lulls the reader into thinking that the story is going to end on a positive note by using three aspects of literary devices: setting, symbolism and imagery. She uses setting to make the reader stray away from any negatives and start off the story on a positive note, symbolism to depict a positive scenery, and imagery in which she uses descriptive words or phrases for the reader to create mental images and distracts the reader from focusing on the main event of the story. In turn, the reader doesn’t anticipate the ending; resulting in a final effect of shock and horror towards the ending of the story.
Jackson uses setting to refrain the reader from being able to predict what would

happen next in the storyline. The statement, “Morning of June 27th was clear and sunny with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day,” (Jackson 1) serves to depict that this story begins off on a new day where it is a beautiful weather outside. Because of this, I was given a positive feeling from the introduction of the setting. “The people of the village began to father in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o’clock.” (Jackson 1) This statement made me infer that this was a tradition that had been recurring for some time now and that it was well organized that made me thought that nothing bad would’ve happen. Being that this was a tradition within this village, it also made me infer that this event happens yearly that everyone knows very well of. “Seventy-seventh year I been in the lottery,” (Jackson 4) a dialogue from Old Man Warner implies that this lottery has been happening for seventy-seven years. “But in this village, where there were only about three hundred people.” (Jackson 1) In this statement, Jackson states that this town was small in size which I inferred that the townspeople know each other very well like neighbors. Being that these townspeople were like neighbors, I inferred that they would be friendly and help each other to anything. Additionally, the whole town participating in this lottery made it seem like it was a very important event to be a part of.
Another literary device that Jackson uses is symbolism where she depicts specific objects or actions of the characters giving it a positive meaning. “Flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.” (Jackson 1) From our human innate behavior, we acknowledge that blossoming flowers symbolizes something that is positive whereas a negative symbolism would be dead flowers. This contributes by bringing in a positive meaning for this story. “The broke into boisterous play.” (Jackson 1) This statement insinuates that since school was over, children were playful and were open to have fun time since school was recently over for the summer. This depicted a normal scenery where children are just being children; there’s nothing wrong or bad about it. “The children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times.” (Jackson 1) This statement meant that the children were unwilling to follow their parent’s orders thus continue to play with their friends. From this I inferred that this was an ordinary story in an ordinary town; a statement that I can relate to easily.
The last literary device that Jackson uses is imagery in which she uses descriptive words and phrases to help the reader create mental images of the story thus distracting the reader from anticipating the story’s ending.

“Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example.” (Jackson 1) This statement serves to illustrate the actions of the younger children following the actions of the older children. This statement caused much of a distraction in which it made me visualize something that didn’t contribute to the ending of the story. The statement, “Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys,” (Jackson 1) made me visualize boys creating a wall of stones of their own sides and that they would playfully throw rocks at the other side and that the pile of stones serves to protect them from the raid. This seems normal to me when boys play rough games because that’s stereotypical for a boy. Some people may think that it’s deleterious for children to throw rocks others, but I didn’t think of that from when they collected specifically “smoothest and roundest stones”. “Bobby Martin ducked under his mother’s grasping hand and ran, laughing, back to the pile of stones.” (Jackson 1) The statement illustrated how the children were reluctant to stay with their parents when they were called and returned back

to their play. Overall, these statements digressed and described how the characters within the story interacted with others. As a result, it created a distraction in focusing on what the main point of the story is trying to illustrate and lulled me into thinking this story had a positive meaning behind it.
Consequently, Jackson’s use of literary devices: setting, symbolism and imagery, lulled me as a reader into a false sense of security thinking that this story would end on a good note. Jackson’s use of setting made me assume that this is just like any other ordinary story; symbolism gulled me into thinking the opposite other than what the story is trying to tell me; and imagery in which she made me create mental images of the characters’ interaction that distracted me from focusing on what the main point was trying to explain to me. As a result, Jackson’s use of the three literary devices: setting, symbolism and imagery, contributed to the final effect of shock and horror due to the anticipation of the death of Tessie at the end of the story.