The Importance Of Easter Eggs In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

In the short story The Lottery by, Shirley Jackson there are a lot of hidden messages also known as "Easter Eggs." Shirley Jackson inputted these hidden Easter Eggs as a sign to what human civilization was like back then. Here are a couple of hidden messages that I've found in the story; Mr. Graves, Mr. Summers, Stones, The Black Box and the three-legged stool. There are many more messages in the story but we will not be focusing on those. As a matter of fact, we will be focusing on the stones.

The stones do play a part in the story especially at the beginning of the story. For instance, theses sentences start to talk about the stones "Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix-- the villagers pronounced this name "Dellacroy"--eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys. (Shirley Jackson)" You would think that when you are reading this story that "Well they're just kids and playing", but no they aren't they know what is going on and that is why they are collecting stones. Later in the story you find out the actual meaning and use of the stones. As they are used to kill people

that "Win" the lottery.
Now is the question you are asking yourself right now "Why would they kill people with stones?" Well when you read the story the villagers had a ritual that they would do, but only to forget why they would even do this ritual.

As stated in this sentence here "Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones. (Shirley Jackson)" Although the villagers did not know what to do there is this one guy out of the whole village that did the Lottery 77 times and would say that if we sacrifice one of our own we will be returned with good crops. As stated "'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. (Shirley

Jackon)'"
Even though the Lottery is completely anonymous there is going to be one person that will be chosen. Whoever is chosen they will be killed (stoned to death). While doing this the reader can clearly see the amount of savage that is in them. Instead of being complete humble people they are ravage beasts on the inside just to have crops to eat. In conclusion the villagers had no idea what was going on and why they were doing this to the innocent people instead they saw it as tradition and it being a must to do so.