Symbolism In The Lottery Essay Research Paper free essay sample

Symbolism In The Lottery Essay, Research Paper The Use of Symbolism in Shirley Jackson # 8217 ; s # 8220 ; The Lottery # 8221 ; Within the first few lines of Shirley Jackson # 8217 ; s # 8220 ; The Lottery # 8221 ; we are faced with such adjectives as clear, cheery, fresh and heat. She goes on to paint a image of little kids merely out of school for the summer, as the townsfolk gather for the one-year Lottery. This leads us to believe that the remainder of the narrative is every bit gay as the summer twenty-four hours ab initio described. We as the readers are virtually incognizant of the atrocious senseless events that lie in front. Through the usage of symbolism Shirley Jackson reveals the underlying decay of moralss that consequences from an empty rite followed by shockable people. Tessie Huchinson symbolizes the typical townsperson who lacks ethical motives and conforms to the multitudes. Upon debut she exudes a unworried attitude when she arrives tardily at the lottery, by jesting with Mr. Summers and pressing her hubby to, # 8220 ; Get up at that place? # 8221 ; when their name is called to pick ( Jackson 77 ) . Consequently, the minute she finds out that her hubby has the black point Tessie yells, # 8220 ; It wasn # 8217 ; t carnival! # 8221 ; ( Jackson 78 ) . Naturally, the remainder of the egoistic people urge her to # 8220 ; [ b ] e a good athletics # 8221 ; ( Jackson 78 ) . The most distressing event in the full narrative is when Tessie tries to acquire her older girls to be portion of the concluding picking, and is dissapointed when she is told that they are merely drawn with their hubbies. The lottery returns and Tessie is stoned to decease by her fellow neighbours. Shirley Jackson wants us to drift along with her cheerful narrative and be wholly appalled in the terminal at the entire loss of human decency. Although Tessie was non said to be spiritual, her name might hold been tied to a spiritual progressive named Anne Huchinson. # 8220 ; Anne was bani shed from Massuchusetts for # 8216 ; Trauding the curates # 8217 ; in 1637 # 8243 ; ( 6: 175 ) . Possibly Jackson was paralleling both Tessie being stoned and Anne being banished for mindless grounds. Symbolically the beat-up black box represents the decease that it brings to the community every bit good as a worn out tradition. The box is mentioned repeatedly throughout the narrative, which is a mark of its importance, although we are kept in the dark about its ultimate map until the really terminal. It is described as # 8220 ; ? no longer wholly black but splintered severely along one side to demo the original wood colour, and in some topographic points [ is ] faded or stained. # 8221 ; ( Jackson 75 ) . This seems to besides depict the lottery itself- old, faded, and stained with the blood of all those who have died in old ages by. Ironically, the black box used in the narrative was said non to be the original box and the documents that they used were replacements for the old wood french friess. This is a mark that the tradition is so old and meaningless that it can be invariably added to or taken away from. # 8220 ; Mr. Summers spoke often to the villag Ers about doing a new box, but no 1 liked to upset even every bit much tradition as was represented by the black box? [ and ] every twelvemonth the topic was allowed to melt off without anything being done† ( Jackson 75 ) . Possibly Mr. Summers’s thought symbolizes a demand for a new tradition. The diverse characters within the narrative represent assorted positions and thoughts in a symbolic mode. # 8220 ; The lottery was conducted-as were the square dances, the teen-age nine, the Halloween program-by Mr. Summers, who had clip and energy to give to civic activities # 8221 ; ( Jackson 74 ) . The last name # 8216 ; Summers # 8217 ; can evidently be connected to the season of summer, he besides runs a coal concern, his married woman is ever call on the carpeting him, and with his unit of ammunition gay face he seems to stand for something cheery and light, like the Sun. His character seems to Illuminate the surface tone of the narrative while at the same clip underscores the ultimate sarcasm. The adjectives used within the narrative to depict his demeanour were of peculiar involvement, for illustration # 8220 ; ? one manus resting heedlessly on the black box? as he talked endless to Mr. Graves? # 8221 ; ( Jackson 75 ) . He appears to be bored and put out with the whole event. Another good illustration of his attitude is when he says gravely, # 8220 ; conjecture we better get started, acquire this over with so # 8217 ; s we can travel back to work # 8221 ; ( Jackson 76 ) . This illustrates Mr. Summers # 8217 ; deficiency of empathy for his fellow townsfolk, whose destiny is in his custodies. Ironically his helpers name is Mr. Graves, which isn # 8217 ; t meaningful until the terminal. Mr. Summers is what you would name the Satan in camouflage, a cold heartless slayer. Old Man Warner # 8217 ; s character represents the stubborn, closed minded, old traditional manner of believing that applauds this mindless ritual. In mention to the remark made about topographic points up north giving up the lottery he comments, # 8220 ; Pack of brainsick saps? listening to the immature folks, nil # 8217 ; s good plenty for them. # 8221 ; His justification is, # 8220 ; There # 8217 ; s ever been a lottery # 8221 ; ( Jackson 77 ) . He has been involved in the lottery for 77 old ages, which has conditioned him to believe that they are making the right thing. As discussed in category, the subject to this narrative can be expressed within a quotation mark, # 8220 ; Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to utilize rocks # 8221 ; ( Jackson 79 ) . The tradition and its map had been forgotten yet these people still killed one of their friends every summer. Shirley Jackson symbolically paints us an unsettling portrayal of the loss of human decency that consequences when apparently civilised people ignorantly conform to the multitudes. # 8220 ; Hutchinson, Anne. # 8221 ; The New Encyclopedia Britannica. 1986. Jackson, Shirley. # 8220 ; The Lottery. # 8221 ; Literature and the Writing Process. Elizabeth Mc Mahan, Susan X Day, and Robert Funk. 5th erectile dysfunction. Upper Saddle River, New jersey: Prentice, 1999. 74-79.