Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" portrays many aspects of how traditions and rituals are carried on from generation to generation. Furthermore, her work has a great deal of symbolism that the reader can connect with and interpret their own feelings about the subject matter. "The Lottery" reveals many sides of human nature and the willingness for one person to suffer while others continue their everyday life.
In the story "the Lottery" there are many different dilemmas that are occurring. The town itself is described as an old fashion town in which everyone seems to know everyone else. This ordinary town however seems to have this tension about an event that is going to occur. Tensions are high because the lottery is coming. Because everyone else out for themselves the level of uncertainty about who will be picked for the sacrifice is overwhelming.
Shirley Jackson uses a great deal of symbolism to convey her ideas to the reader.
Shirley Jackson
I took this photograph of a lottery document I own
John Brown's Body Lies a Moulderin' in THIS Grave ...Moreover, the names of the characters are the first thing the reader may find a little odd. The names of the characters I found to be a form of symbolism. Mr. Summers is the one who draws the name for the lottery and Mr. Graves is the one who makes out the slips for the black lottery box. The names of the characters reveal that Mr. Summers picks them because they want to have a good summer of corn. Mr. Graves name shows that he is the one that is basically doing the dirty work for the town when making out the slips. It is definitely a little bit odd that the man who makes the slips just happens to be called "Graves" that possibly refers to the person whose name is drawn will eventually end up in a...