Symbols In The Lottery

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How far will you go for a reward? Are you willing to sacrifice anything for that reward, even if it means your own life? A compelling tale of twisted origins, The Lottery leaves us in a state of confusion, a confusion so grand we start questioning our morals and values amongst ourselves and our community. The greatest manifestation of a reward worth dying for manifests itself within this dark tale.

Due to the various symbolic representations in the story, I chose to go with Symbolism as my focus for this essay. The first symbol I would like to address is the Box itself; the box feels like a dark entity that fuels the continuous tradition of the townsfolk. Based on how its current state is presented, which is that of a relic, “The black box grew shabbier each year; by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained. “And due to how the townsfolk value this “tradition” a little too much, they frown upon trying to even …show more content…
“. The reason I find this interesting and symbolic is because it reminds me of the same time that Paganisms follow to celebrate their Midsummer/ Summer Solstice ritual, though not entirely a solstice timeline in the story, it was close to the same idea. Not only that but going back to the idea of the lottery they too have had many ways in which they give praise to their divine, though of course, they have more natural means and a better purpose which is praying for good crops and harvest, who knows the black box was their form of deity whom they offered a sacrifice to for

Symbols In The Lottery

Symbolism is clearly seen in the short story, “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson. There are many elements of symbolism which can be seen throughout the story as one reads. For this essay, I will only focus on three major symbols that I was able to identify. These include the black box, the three-legged stool, and the stones. The black box is a manifestation of the villagers' connection to the laws and beliefs of tradition. The writer of this story is pretty clear on this point especially in the point…

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What Are The Symbols In The Lottery

“The Lottery,” there are many symbols. There are many different analyses about what the story is pertaining to. This story goes to show how common people in a society can do harm to others in order to survive and to keep the balance of life. This story uses symbolism very heavily; it is because of this that the story is very interesting. The characters of the story have symbolic meaning: Old man Warner is a seventy-seven year old man; he is the oldest man in the village. His name is a symbol because…

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The Symbol Of 'Belief In The Lottery'

In the story the Lottery, There is a particular quote thats stands out above the rest.It goes “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.”It caught my attention, and i think that it has something to do with a ritual and/or sacrifice to make their crops grow better or to keep them from wilting. The Lottery and their crops growing, well is probably just a coincidence. But if you do a ritual for so long and the coincidence is right, then the townsfolk are lead to believe in this the truth.It is also interesting…

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Use of Symbols in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery Essay

In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson symbols play a huge role in the development of the story. One major symbol in the story is the little black box that is used to store the slips of paper from the families. This black box represents both tradition and lack in logic of blindly following a tradition. Jackson uses the box to show that following a tradition, but not questioning its methods can prove to be detrimental to society as a whole. The black box in “The Lottery” can represent a tradition…

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How Does Shirley Jackson Use Symbols In The Lottery

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson is a story of a surprising town got in a trap of continually following tradition, notwithstanding when it is not to their greatest advantage. Jackson utilizes symbols all through the story that relate with the theme. Shirley Jacksons clearly communicates her emotions concerning traditional customs through her story. It opens the eyes of readers to legitimately arrange and address some of today’s customs as cruel, and permits space to anticipate the result of these…

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Symbolism In The Lottery

interesting symbols where written in her short story “The Lottery”. Simply trying to understand the symbols in the story is amazing. These symbols can include the lottery itself, the black box, and even the people of the town. Each symbol means something different. Some symbols might have more than one meaning to them. However, it is not realized until the end of the story what that symbol might actual represents. That is what makes the symbols in this story so intriguing. The main symbol of the story…

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Spartacus: The Lottery and Mrs. Hutchinson Essay

The Lottery The short story called The Lottery by Shirley Jackson incorporates many symbols to emphasize the theme throughout the story. One of the symbols that is mentioned in the short story is the lottery, which represents tradition and how a group uses violence to conform to society. The author also utilizes the names of the villagers as symbols to depict contradictory characteristics of each personage. In addition to these symbols, Jackson also uses the black box, the three-legged stool,…

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Imagery In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

In the short story The Lottery the author, Shirley Jackson, begins the story using vivid and detailed imagery to set the setting and tone for the story. Jackson describes the village as”clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day” (paragraph 1). The author’s diction indicates that the town is welcoming and in the process of transitioning into a fresh start of a new season. Jackson misleads the audience into thinking that the village is average and performing the usual day to day activities…

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The Lottery And The Red Death Synthesis Essay

Jayden The Lottery/ The Masque of the Red Death Synthesis Essay Two stories with similar symbolic and ironic elements and are Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death”. These stories are both rather disturbing and unpredictable in the events that play out, so it is no wonder how they are very similar, but still distinct. Firstly, comparing the symbolic meanings of several items in the stories show how similar and yet different these two tales are…

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Symbolism In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

In The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson she includes different symbols and themes in her story. Two themes that are mentioned throughout the story are traditions and customs along with family. The main tradition that happens in this story is The Lottery. In this tradition everyone is included, family, friends, and all villagers including the young and old. The black box and the lottery and the stones used symbols that she illustrates in the story. One of the villagers is chosen and then killed at the…

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