Senseless Violense

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.