In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery," there is a significant amount of emphasis put on death of the culture and society's destiny. In the story, a village conducts an annual lottery. While the reader has no idea exactly what the winner of the lottery receives, he does know that it will not be good. At the climax of the story, one reads that Mrs. Hutchinson, the winner of the lottery, is stoned to death. The foreshadowing of her death throughout the story exemplifies the fact that without changing ideas and ideals, society is destined to die by its own rules. This forewarning transpires three distinct times in "The Lottery." It occurs when in the first line of the story, when the village boys are gathering rocks, and when the men of the village are acting strange (Joyce 74, 76, 77).

In the first line of the story one reads, "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blooming profusely and the grass was richly green" (74). Jackson uses this imagery to show how the setting for the story is obscure. She uses the word profusely to describe the blooming flowers. Usually when one thinks of "profusely" th

Joyce, James. "The Lottery." Literature and the Writing Process. 5th ed. Eds. Elizabeth

New York: Catholic Book, 1992. 158.

John. "A Woman Caught in Adultery." Saint Joseph Edition of The New American Bible.

Friedman, Lenemaja. Shirley Jackson. Boston: Twayne, 1975. 160.

Then Mr. Adams reached into the black box and took out a folded paper. He held it firmly by one corner as he turned and went hastily back to his place in the crowd, where he stood a little apart from his family, not looking down at his hand. (76)

Later foreshadowing of death comes when the village boys are gathering stones in anticipation for the lottery. "Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones" (74). Bobby Martin is one of the older children in the village. He is seen showing the other boys what stones to choose with the knowledge that they will be used to kill someone in the village, possibly one of his parents. Jackson used the stone gathering to remind us of earlier cultures of society where people convicted of a crime punishable by death were stoned. Certainly, in the Bible, Jesus saves the woman from punishment by stating, "'Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her"' (John 158). The villagers do not recognize how their ideals are very far away from the truth in life.

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Approximate Word count = 959
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)