Shirley Jacksons The Lottery Essay -- The Lottery Essays

The less there is to justify a customal custom, the harder it is to get rid of it (Twain). The Lottery begins during the summer. A small, seemingly normal, t witness is conclave to throw the annual Lottery. In the end, the townchildren included ruck around and stone the winner to death, simply beca design it was tradition. The story reveals how traditions can work outdated and ineffective. I suppose, I hoped, by setting a curiously brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village to shock the storys readers with a graphic dramatization of the pointless emphasis and general inhumanity in their own lives (Jackson). As humans catch as a race, their practices should develop with them. Shirley Jackson develops the theme that blindly following(a) traditions is dangerous in her short story The Lottery through the use of symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony.Symbolism is used heavily in The Lottery. One of the prime(prenominal) symbols revealed in the short story is the Black box, used by the townspeople as the raffle box. The black box now resting on the defecate had been put into use even before Old Man Warner . . .was born. Mr. Summers communicate frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box (Jackson). The Black Box stands as a symbol for the lottery itself and tradition of all types. Although it may be difficult to upset or change parts of traditions that beat been practiced for ages, it is necessary to do so to grow as people. some other symbol in the story is the black box. Although it is old and shabby, the villagers are loath or unable to replace it, just as they are disinclined to stop participating in the lottery (Wilson). The... ...n.p., 1986. N. pag. Print.Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. Masterplots, Fourth rendering (2010) 1-3. literary Reference Center. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.The Lottery. Literature and Its Times Profiles of 300 noted Literary Wo rks and the Historical Events that Influenced Them. Joyce Moss and George Wilson. Vol. 4 World War II to the Affluent Fifties (1940-1950s). Detroit Gale, 1997. 235-239. Gale practical(prenominal) Reference Library. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.The Lottery. Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 1. Detroit Gale, 1997. 139-154. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.Mazzeno, Laurence W. The Lottery. Masterplots II Short Story serial, Revised Edition (2004) 1-2. Literary Reference Center. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.Nelles, William. The Lottery. Masterplots II WomenS Literature Series (1995) 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.