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)