Analysis Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

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“The lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story about an unusual town blindly following tradition. To help her express the theme of the story, the author uses symbolism, so that the reader can understand better the message behind her work. The use of setting, symbols and tone creates an unique atmosphere that connects with the reader.
The setting and tone in the short story are the first barrier that the reader embraces, giving a sense of where they are as well as the overall feeling within the story. In the begging, Jackson is specific in describing the setting in the story: "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full summer day" (250). By this statement, the reader is put in a very calm and welcoming …show more content…
Warner. Being the oldest man in the town, he has participated in over seventy lotteries, representing the blind following of the immoral tradition within his community. Even as the younger generation within the town tries to break off the ridiculous tradition by telling him that other places have stopped holding the lottery, he continuous to follow the ritual unconditionally "They'll be wanting to go back to living in caves" (254). Based on his beliefs, the sacrifice is the only force keeping society stable. As a superstitious man, he truly believes that the lottery is the only logical method in maintaining the crops growth and wellbeing "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon" (254). In his eyes, changing tradition by terminating the lottery will only lead to a disastrous conclusion. On the other hand, Jackson uses another symbol in the form of the black box. This time, the box represents not the tradition itself, but the absence of it. The box itself has not been passed down generations, unlike the rituals. Only a small amount of pieces of the original wooden box remain intact, creating the idea that traditions are not never ending. The box is falling apart from years of use. The villagers base their loyalty with the box on nothing more than stories that it is made from pieces of the old one. The community of the town blindly and immorally follows the rituals through the years. These rituals has lost most …show more content…
The setting and tone in "The Lottery" is very different than most. She tricks the reader by creating the illusion that the town and village people she portrays are normal, when in reality it is the opposite. The reader later finds out about the effects of a tradition within this town as the entire tone of the story changes. The two major symbols in this story are the old man Warner, and the black box. Both of these symbols give the reader a sense of tradition, with Mr. Warner not willing to listen to reason and stop the lottery, and with the black box being nothing more than an item decomposing through the years. Jackson leaves her audience with a great message that can be connected and related to any society and any time
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