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Symbolism in "The Lottery" - Papers Online

Symbolism in "The Lottery"

Symbolism in "The Lottery"

Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" tells the tale of a small, seemingly normal town partaking in an annual lottery. The lottery has been an integral part of the town's history for as long as any of its inhabitants can remember. The lottery has a more disturbing result than many would anticipate however, as the "winner" is quickly ostracized, and quickly stoned to death by the remaining citizens of the town. Shirley Jackson creates an anxious, uneasy tone throughout the story, which helps to reflect the mindset of most of the characters. Shirley Jackson also employs symbolism heavily in her short story "The Lottery", most notably in the black box, the ...

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every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done. The black box grew shabbier each year; by now it was no longer completely black but splintered baldy along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained." (Jackson, 248) The lack of maintenance or focus on maintaining the box reflects the views of some of the townspeople, that perhaps the lottery is no longer necessary.
The black box is kept in various, random locations, out of sight of most of the townspeople. "The rest of the year, the box was put away, sometimes one place, sometimes another; it had spent one year in Mr. Grave's barn and another year underfoot in the post office, and sometimes it was set on a shelf in the Martin grocery and left there." (Jackson, 48) The location of the box throughout the year is often not important, or anywhere in which the people can easily see it. This fact makes it seem as though the people of the town try not to think of the ...

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PAPER DETAILS
Added: 4/4/2012 10:54:39 PM
Submitted By: philrules
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1008
Pages: 4

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