Lottery-Atmosphere/Setting/Symbols

A detailed Summary of Lottery-Atmosphere/Setting/Symbols

The setting seems to be the focus in the beginning of the story. The author tell us the exact day and time. The day is described as a "clear and sunny, with fresh warmth of a full-summer day; flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green." After reading that, I wanted to be there, sitting out on my porch or taking a walk. Next, we are taken to the town square where the rest of the story takes place. The town square is described as being between the post office and the bank. Those buildings are thought of as being common and trustworthy in every town. We are told they conduct square dance, the teen-age club, and the Halloween program there. We are led to believe this town square is a place of fun and excitement. It certain paints a picture of a lovely town, on a beautiful day.

Next, we learn a little about the people that live in the town. We are told the children have just finished school. I am now thinking back to those warm carefree days, after just getting out of school. The boys are looking for stones, which doesn't seem that odd, since many boys play with rocks by throwing them or building with them. We have no idea what the stones will ultimately be used to do. The boys "broke into boisterous play" whi

I found this story also to have some symbolism. The color of the box being black, representing death or evil. Mr. Graves name is interesting because he carries in the black box and places it on the three-legged stool. It is Mr. Graves who puts in the five papers that represent the Hutchinson's in the box. Since someone in that family will need a grave, it gives the name some meaning. Also, at the end of the story it's Mrs. Graves who is in the front as they are throwing stones. When I read the story, I didn't know Mrs.. Hutchinson died. However, when I mentioned the story to my family, a few of them had read it, they were all under the impression she was stoned to death. I just didn't realize she died, however, it makes the Graves symbolism stand out. Did everyone else think she died? I also thought about the dot on the center of the paper for the person being stoned seemed like how Mrs. Hutchinson had to sit in the middle of the square alone while the people of the town threw stones at her. Obviously, again, the use of a black dot to represent death or evil.

ch make me think they are having a lot of fun. While the girls, are standing around talking to each other and not interacting with the boys, which is normal. Then the men are described as talking about planting and rain, tractors and taxes. This clues us in to another aspect of the setting, this is probably a rural farming community. Then women are described as gossiping, typical of women. These all seem to be ordinary activities by these groups of people. I feel the described activities are important because they help create the atmosphere. The author wants us to think this is Small Town (we know there only 300 people), USA. This town presents a "perfect" or stereotypical town. This story, therefore, could occur anywhere. The following interaction described reinforces my thoughts. The women, "standing by their husbands" is one example. Another, the ch

Some common words found in the essay are:
, Tesse Hutchinson, Warner Pack, town square, black box, threw stones, day described, color box, death evil, people town, described talking, town told, beautiful day,

Approximate Word count = 1295
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels