What are the symbols in the story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson?
If you look into the text finding the symbols can be very easy. “The Lottery”
by Shirley Jackson is a great short story that tests the reader if they can
find the true meaning of the story using symbols.
“Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of
stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest
and roundest stones.”This is very important thing to start the story with
because it says the irony that will eventually take place later in the story.
The rocks symbolize death and torture because later they stone a normal woman because
she won the town’s lottery. “Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone so large she had
to pick it up with both hands and turned to Mrs. Dunbar.” The big rock that she
picked up was very important. The woman who threw the rock was friends with the
woman who was getting stoned and she wanted to kill her quick and easy. The big
rock meant friendship and humanity.
Most things in this story were black like the black box that
held the lottery tickets and the black dot that meant whoever holding the black
dot ticket would be stoned. The black box symbolized death, tradition, and
unwillingness to change. The black spotted ticket meant death and curse. Black
overall symbolizes evil and death. The lottery its self meant tradition.
It is very easy to miss symbolism in a story but Shirley
Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” really showed that you should look for
symbolism to understand a story. Even though the story was an Irony and someone
died at the end it is a great story showing that you should think outside the
box.
