The Lottery Symbolism Essay - 992 Words

One of most interesting parts of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is simply trying to understand what the symbols in the story mean. These symbols included the lottery, the tools used in the lottery and even the people of the town. Within the first few lines of Shirley Jackson described a picture of a clear, sunny, fresh and warm summer day. She continues this sense of comfort by adding small children playing after being released from school for the summer, and the townspeople gathering calmly for the annual â€Å"Lottery†. Jackson leads us into believing that the story is going to be a happy cheery one just as the summer day that she initially described. Man, where we mislead! Through the use of symbolism, Shirley Jackson reveals to the us,†¦show more content†¦This shows Mr. Summers lack of empathy for his fellow townspeople, even thou their fate rests in his hands. Another great name in this story belongs to Mr. Summer’s assistants. His name is Mr. Graves, which does not become meaningful until the end of the story. Old Man Warners character represents the stubborn, closed minded, old traditional way of thinking that supports this mindless type of rituals. His answer to the comment mad e that some places up north giving up the lottery was, Pack of crazy fools listening to the young folks, nothings good enough for them. His reasoning was, Theres always been a lottery. He had been involved in the lottery for 77 years, which has him believing that the town was still doing the correct thing, it is tradition after all. The method of execution at the end of the story is certainly not random. Stoning is one of the oldest and most common forms of execution, but it is also one of the most symbolic. It has strong connection to many people due to its use throughout The Bible. One reason, that stoning was used in the past as well as the reason that it is important in this story is that there is no single executioner. This means that there is not a single person that has passed judgment or has to carry the guilt for taking a life alone. This is important for the story of â€Å"The Lottery because it helps to make clear who the enemy inShow MoreRelatedLottery Essay Symbolism1249 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism Essay Symbolism is a sign that has been used by literary authors to represent a larger idea into another more specific concept or belief. Symbolism can be used to represent an action, an idea or a person’s archetype as well. The term symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing in things with a symbolic meaning or character (â€Å"Symbolism†). Examples of symbolism are: an eagle representing freedom, a dove representing peace, and the color green can symbolizeRead MoreThe Lottery Symbolism Essay908 Words   |  4 PagesAll around the world today thousands of people die from murder and the numbers increase every year. 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But what would happen if there was a small town where people held a yearly lottery in which the â€Å"winner† was the member of the town who was not sacrificedRead MoreEssay on Symbolism and Characterization in Jackson’s The Lottery726 Words   |  3 Pagespassed on, from previous generations in Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery†. Traditions, which have been lost in time, but seemingly enough the stones have not been discarded. Set on a village in a warm summer day, the story begins with several boys gathering stones for the lottery. The rest of the villagers gather in the square. The fate of the villagers is determined by a slip of paper chosen from the black box. Symbolism and characterization, from the beginning to the end, work togetherRead MoreSymbolism in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay748 Words   |  3 PagesThe Lottery: Symbolism In her story â€Å"The Lottery†, Shirley Jackson manages to catch the readers’ attention and ultimately shock them with an unexpected ending; all of which help her emphasize her critique toward the dark side of human nature and the evil that resides, sometimes, in those who we less expect it from. Jackson uses symbolism throughout the story that helps her set the mood and also makes the readers wonder and analyze the senseless violence and cruelty in their own lives. It all startsRead More Symbolism and Setting in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay1118 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism and Setting in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson ?The Lottery? by Shirley Jackson is a short story that without the symbolism of its characters, would amount to little more than an odd tale about a stoning. However, because of what each character represents and the way the setting helps to magnify those representations, it becomes a short story that is anything but short of meaning. The first character is probably the most obviously symbolic character of the story. Every wordRead More The Use of Symbolism in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay938 Words   |  4 PagesThe Use of Symbolism in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Within the first few lines of Shirley Jacksons The Lottery we are faced with such adjectives as clear, sunny, fresh and warmth. She goes on to paint a picture of small children just out of school for the summer, as the townspeople gather for the annual Lottery. This leads us to believe that the rest of the story is as cheery as the summer day initially described. We as the readers are virtually unaware of the horrible senseless events