When developing an inspiration for a story, a writer must put many ideas into the process. There are numerous items, that when combined create an interesting and pleasurable story. There are many characteristics that a story must encompass to be enjoyable. To give suspense and drama to a story, many writers choose to add ample amounts of foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a way to hint or give a prediction about future events that are going to take place in the story. Another technique that writers often use to add interest to a story is symbolism. Symbolism is a way of adding mental images and connecting key points. These techniques ultimately give the story a great deal of interest. Shirley Jackson wrote a short story entitled "The Lottery". This story is a prime example of how an interesting story should read. "The Lottery" uses an intense amount of foreshadowing and symbolism. It is these techniques that make this story so unique and interesting. If the techniques of foreshadowing and symbolism had not been used so excellently, the story would ultimately have been un-illustrated and boring. Foreshadowing and symbolism are two key elements that make this story so enjoyable to re

The Lottery begins with stating a specific date and setting. This is a helpful foreshadowing technique used to aware the reader that it is not just a random date and time. "The morning of June 27th...the weather was clear and sunny... flowers were blooming profusely and the grass was richly green"(1). The reader is now aware of this date and the regular event that is about to take place. The fact that the setting is on a nice day leads the reader to believe something good is about to happen. Usually good weather is a symbol of good things to come. Unfortunately, there is still a sense of dismay. The characters do not seem to be happy to gather in the square. The reader does not get a good feeling when they see that the townsfolk are hesitant. Being that they are not happy to gather is another good example of foreshadowing. The reader now realizes that the townsfolk are probably not gathering for something delightful. "Townsfolk gathered in village square...men were talking, joking...but only smiles instead of laughter come out"(1). The fact that they are not laughing at jokes is scary. The reader is now wondering why the townsfolk are so hesitant. It is such a beautiful day it is assumed something good should happen. Because of the excellent approaches in foreshadowing and symbolism, the reader is now aware that something bad will ultimately happen.

The middle of the story hints to an equally scary entity. The children of the town arrive early to gather stones. The reader is now clued in by even more added foreshadowing. "Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones...selecting the smoothest and roundest stones...Delacroix made a huge pile of stones"(1)

Some common words found in the essay are:
Bobby Martin, Shirley Jackson, Imagery Lottery, Jackson's Lottery, foreshadowing symbolism, reader aware, stones reader, symbolism reader aware, reader aware bad, foreshadowing symbolism reader, read lottery, townsfolk gathered, foreshadowing reader, happy gather, townsfolk hesitant, techniques story, scary reader,
Approximate Word count = 1141
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)