Use of Symbolism in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

967 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Symbolism as a literary tool essay

Symbolism means like any place, person or thing that is something but

can be interpreted in a different way. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a short

story that shows symbolism, to give hints about the story in all the characters and

objects in the story. This Short story takes place in the summer where a small

town has a lottery every year round. The person that wins the lottery has a huge

impact on the town and the crops that grow in it. Old man Warner is the oldest in

the town and has been in more than seventy lotteries he likes to go by tradition

and doesn’t like to change it up. Mrs. Hutchinson on the other hand doesn’t want

to go by the tradition and thinks that the lottery is a huge mistake for the town. At

the end of the day Mrs. Hutchinson wins the lottery and gets the big surprise that

helps out the town with their crops to grow and can be harvest when its time.

Mrs. Hutchinson won the lottery and sacrificed her life and when its time to

Harvest the crops there will be full crops of corn to harvest.

Mr. Summers represents that the time of the lottery took place in the

summer because he was the one that got the lottery together and was the one

that was drawing from the black box. “ ‘Summer’ is the sir name of the conductor

of the lottery. The lottery happened during the summer. “ The lottery takes place

” June 22nd “ Mr. summer goes by all the rules and by the tradition of the lottery

he is one of those characters that take everything serious about the lottery and it

has to be perfect in order for their crops to grow. Mr. Summers also meaning

grow and life. “Lottery in June (Summer), corn be soon. “ Sacrifice one in the

summer and there will be growth for the corn.

Mr. Grav...

... middle of paper ...

...

kids to start early and learn the lottery that way the tradition won’t be forgotten

and the crops will keep on growing. “Mrs. Hutchinson ended up being the the

sacrificial animal, the scapegoat of the group. “ She blamed her own daughter

and said it wasn’t fair , and she ended up getting picked for the lottery and had to

sacrifice her life.

Works Cited

Ma, Martine. ”Literary Analysis Essay: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. http://martinema.wordPress.com, N.p, 10 Jun 2013. Web. 17 Mar 2014

Pirate Teacher. and Lentz. “ What are symbols in ‘ The Lottery ‘ by Shirely Jackson. “ enotes.enotes, inc., 10 Nov 2011, 19 sept 2012. Web. 17 mar 2014.

123HelpMe Editors. “Religious Symbolism in ‘ The Lottery ‘. “ 123HelpMe., Inc., N.d. Web 17 Mar 2014.

123Help Editors. “Names in Shirley Jackson’s ‘ The Lottery ‘ 123HelpMe. 123HelpMe, inc., n.d. Web. 17 Mar 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron and Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    1641 Words  | 4 Pages

    The short story ‘The Lottery’ reveals a village of 300 that assemble for a lottery on June 27th every year. The lottery has been held this day for years and years, and has become a classic tradition. The lottery itself is holy to much of its residents, like Mr. Watson, who states that the village in the north is a pack of young crazy fools for removing the lottery. “Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them. Next thing you know, they’ll be wanti...

    Read More

  • The Contrast of Two Great Short Stories: The Rocking Horse Winner and The Lottery

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Lottery” is a short story about an event that takes place every year in a small village of New England. When the author speaks of “the lottery” he is referencing the lottery of death; this is when the stoning of a village member must give up his or her life. The villagers gather at a designated area and perform a customary ritual which has been practiced for many years. The Lottery is a short story about a tradition that the villagers are fully loyal to and represents a behavior or idea that has been passed down from generation to generation, accepting and following a rule no matter how cruel or illogical it is. Friends and family become insignificant the moment it is time to stone the unlucky victim.

    Read More

  • Shirley Jackson's Symbolism in The Lottery

    1622 Words  | 4 Pages

    Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery', is a story that is filled with symbolism. The author uses symbolism to help her represent human nature as tainted, no matter how pure one thinks of himself or herself, or how pure their environment may seem to be. The story is very effective in raising many questions about the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. 'The Lottery' clearly expresses Jackson's feelings concerning mankind?s evil nature hiding behind traditions and rituals. She shows how coldness and lack of compassion in people can exhibit in situations regarding tradition and values. Jackson presents the theme of this short story with a major use of symbolism. Symbolism shows throughout the setting of 'The Lottery,' the objects, the peoples actions, and even in the time and the names of the lucky contestants.

    Read More

  • Religious Tradition in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    When we are introduced to the lottery, we see the traditions that are currently observed. These include the townspeople gathering in the square, the children gathering rocks and making piles of them. A black box is the current receptacle for the lots to be drawn: 'The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put to use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born.' (Jackson 367).

    Read More

  • Symbolism in Shirley Jackson´s The Lottery

    595 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the course of humanity, people have sought ways to promote a society where moral unification and motivation are present. It is essential for a community to coincide with such values; therefore, tradition and folklore are transcended though generations as customs which people follow mostly without question. In Shirley Jackson’s short story, The Lottery, such traditions are exploited through a futile box along with a brutal ritual which symbolizes the way a society might mindlessly abide by them and feel powerless to divert from such illogical acts. The storyline contains a constant tone which depicts normalcy to present normalcy itself as seen by the villagers, yet whispers eerie to the reader by setting up hints and indications of what is really occurring.

    Read More

  • Research Paper on Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery”

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Gioia, Dana and R.S. Gwynn. The Art of the Short Story. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2006. 390-396.

    Read More

  • Symbolism in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is a chilling tale of a harsh ritualistic gathering conducted by people of a small village. The word lottery would typically remind someone of a drawing to win a cash prize. A better comparison to the story would be the lottery used to select troops for the Vietnam War; a lottery of death. Another would be the human sacrifices the Aztecs willingly made long ago.

    Read More

  • Symbolism and Imagery in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jackson uses the lottery itself to function as an ironic symbol of tradition in the story. In today’s society, a lottery is an event that has positive connotations related to it. A lottery a game that is associated with fun, chance, fun, and expectation. Good things usually result from lotteries especially for those who win. Furthermore, those who don’t win have nothing to lose. Lotteries bring forth a feeling of great expectation of a wonderful outcome. Through out the story, the lottery is projected as a harmless and affable pastime, which is how it is used in today’s society; however, by the end of the story it ends with disaster.

    Read More

  • Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    1157 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery.” Masterplots, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Influence of Characters in Shirley Jackson’s "The Lottery"

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    The characters in a short story are vital to understanding everything that the author has put into her work. Most of Shirley Jackson’s characters in “The Lottery” adapt as the story goes on, revealing their true opinions and behaviors. Her characters are also true to life, which establishes realism in her stories. Tess, Old Man Warner, and the women of this story all provide outlooks and opinions that shape “The Lottery” into the constructive story it is.

    Read More

  • Discussion of Literary Techniques Used in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, the use of symbolism, irony and setting in the Lottery is very evident, the author indirectly implicates the true darkness within the human heart. The Lottery remains relevant in society today because the overall vagueness of the city allows this story to be true to all people around the world. The short story shows us that humans are evil enough to follow traditions blindly, even if they cause pain and death in loved ones we know. Jackson also centers a lot of symbols and irony on religion and how they affect our culture and decisions. In this the reader can learn that sometimes it’s better for a person to follow his moral compass, and not just blindly follow his evil heart, and the evilness of others.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Lottery And The Story Of An Hour

    554 Words  | 2 Pages

    The only hint of why it may be done is by Old Man Warner when he says, “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” implying that it may have started with the belief that sacrificing would bring a successful harvesting season. Most, if not all, villagers have a sort of monotonous attitude towards this day and its events. Knowing that someone is about to be chosen at random to be stoned to death does not seem to faze them very much. There is even a somewhat frolicsome tone in the children as they gather piles of rocks to be used for the stoning and cavort around with their peers before the drawing. This tone is reiterated when we see Tessie Hutchinson state that she “Clean forgot what day it was… and then I looked out the window and the kids were gone, and then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and came a-running”.

    Read More

  • Themes And Symbols In The Lottery, By Shirley Jackson

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    The lottery happens during summer, and Mr. Summer’s assistant is “Mr. Graves” Jackson. 4. The adage of the adage. This hints that there will be a “Grave” during “summer”. The author uses names to augur the winner’s prize: a violent stoning from the townspeople. The objects in the story also represent religious and symbolic meanings to the lottery.

    Read More

  • Use Of Irony And Allegory In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    2199 Words  | 5 Pages

    It has no explanation behind it, except for an old adage about how a lottery would bring a successful crop yield. The lottery is self-perpetuated by the townspeople, who blindly follow the ritual because it is the way they know. It is evident that the people who live in this town, with it’s population of more than three hundred (1), are trained from a young age to follow the practice; at the beginning of the story, the school-aged boys are collecting stones before the reader is aware of the true nature of the lottery, as well as Davy Hutchinson being assisted in choosing a slip out of the lottery box: ‘“Take a paper out of the box, Davy." Mr. Summers said. Davy put his hand into the box and laughed.”’ (65) "Take just one paper." Mr. Summers said. "Harry, you hold it for him." Mr. Graves took the child's hand and removed the folded paper from the tight fist and held it while little Dave stood next to him and looked up at him wonderingly. (65) The tradition is self-perpetuating, as each child is presented to the community as a “blank slate” and must be taught the ways of the

    Read More

  • Tradition In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mr. Summer has ran the lottery and fully believes in this tradition and also organized the Lottery, square dancers, teenage club and halloween party. Mr. Summers has a god complex to him when it comes to the lottery, he ultimately indirectly decides who dies and who lives since he is the one that marks the black dot on the small white paper. He takes pride in this tradition by willing giving up time to the set up of the lottery, he

    Read More

More about Use of Symbolism in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Open Document