Symbolism and Setting in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson...

Symbolism and Setting in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson ?The Lottery? by Shirley Jackson is a short story that without the symbolism of its characters, would amount to little more than an odd tale about a stoning. However, because of what each character represents and the way the setting helps to magnify those representations, it becomes a short story that is anything but short of meaning. The first character is probably the most obviously symbolic character of the story. Every word that leaves Old Man Warner?s Mouth reeks of tradition. He never stops criticizing new ideas about the lottery, the way it is run, or complaining about how things have changed for the worst, etc., etc. When Mr. Adams tells him that the†¦show more content†¦While neither Mr. Graves nor Mr. Summers are tyrannical, awe inspiring, or otherwise persuasive leaders, the townspeople follow them. It is very probable that if the two of them proclaimed there would no longer be a lottery it would stop but they insist with the tradition. Unfortunately as is the case so often in reality, people follow them blindly, they are leaders in the community, they must know what they are doing right? When people fail to question their leadership, in reality, just as in ?The Lottery,? terrible things happen. The other characters symbolize more the faults of individual humans rather than those of whole societies. The Hutchinson Family is both symbolic of internal faults that all humans have, such as cowardice and indifference. Bill Hutchinson is apparently so scared of saying no to authority that he will not take the necessary steps to protect his family. As a matter of fact he aids them in the death of his wife by forcing her to show the black spot. When a man is willing not just to stand by and watch as his wife is stoned to death but actually force her into it, there is something truly wrong. However in a sense the entire town is filled with cowards. One might say, they seemed brave, all willing to go to the lottery and risk their lives for this ritual. In reality though they are cowards for not standing up and saying, ?This year my family will not be participating in theShow MoreRelatedThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson972 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson, is a short story about an annual lottery draw in a small New England town. The town’s people have performed the lottery for more than seventy years. Shirley Jackson gives â€Å"The Lottery† a whole different meaning . The lottery is used for a public stoning, opposing to the very first thing that approaches to a reader s mind when they think of the lottery; a big amount of money . 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A small, seemingly normal, town is gathering to throw the annual â€Å"Lottery†. In the end, the townspeople—children included—gather around and stone the winner to death, simply because it was tradition. The story reveals how traditions can become outdated and ineffective. â€Å"I suppose, I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village to shock theRead MoreWinners Will Be Executed Short Story Analysis1085 Words   |  5 PagesWinning a lottery is a good thing, right? Someone buys a ticket, then scratches it off or waits to see if they hold the winning number in their hands. However, that is not the case in Shirley Jackson’s wor ld of â€Å"The Lottery†. In her critically acclaimed short story, a small town gathers in the village square and draws a name out of a box, and the ‘winner’ of their lottery is brutally stoned to death. All of this is done in a calm and orderly fashion, as well as without question. The lottery is a yearly