the use of symbolism in the lo

A detailed Summary of the use of symbolism in the lo

In "The Lottery," Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to make us aware of the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. The story starts off on a beautiful summer day in a small town. The author describes the day as very euphoric, saying "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green." (229). However, this description strikes a contrast between the atmosphere of the town and the atmosphere of the people gathered in the square. The atmosphere is subdued, where the children are "gathered together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play." (229).

The black box is the central theme or idea in the story. It symbolizes at first some type of mystery, but as we read the ending we realize that it is synonymous with doom, which is why "The villagers kept their distance, leaving a sp

The lottery itself is symbolic of the paradox of the human psyche between compassion and the thirst for violence and cruelty. An example of this is when the children are enjoying a break from school, playing and being children, and suddenly they are being joined by 'rational' adults in stoning a mother to death. It appears that tradition has blinded these people in an irrational way, making them unable to understand that this type of behavior could possibly be wrong.

When forced with the possibility of death, human nature in all its complexity, comes down to one instinctive urge, that of survival. When Tessie is in no danger she is gossiping with the other ladies and even encouraging her husband to go and pick a piece of paper, saying, "Get up there, Bill." (232). However, when Tessie 'wins' the lottery; she pleads for another chance and screams for mercy stating, "It isn't fair." (235). She demands that her daughters take their chances as well, which i

Some common words found in the essay are:
Proven Warners, Shirley Jackson, God Tessie, black box, summer day, question happening,

Approximate Word count = 651
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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the use of symbolism in the lo

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