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Essay On Symbolism In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

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The Symbolism of The Lottery One big symbol that the short story is discreet about is the black box that is repeated throughout the short story symbolizes fear to adults which could affect even the most innocent. The black box appears to be the only paraphernalia that is still being used in the tradition of having a lottery. Mr. Summers is the one who is running the lottery at the time. Mr. Summers is seen as a nice man, however, when he is introduced, he is seen with the black box. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story that uses the black box as a symbol to convey an underlying message that when the power of a tradition is given to a person, it could lead a crumbling society. When the power of a tradition is given to a person, it could lead to a crumbling society. For example, in the lottery, Shirley Jackson writes “The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool, and when Mr.Summers asked… ‘give me a hand?’ there was hesitation.” This reveals that despite Mr. Summers being portrayed as a “round-faced, jovial man”, he brings fear and hesitation by just being seen with the black box. Mr. Summers is known for bringing joy when conducting fun activities like square dances, teenage club, and the Halloween program, however, when …show more content…

For example, after Tessi is shown with the black dot, Mr. Summers says “All right folks,... Let's finish quickly.” This shows that Mr.Summers’ mind is crumbling after being the one who is controlling the black box, did not hesitate when telling others to stone Tessi. The others were not hesitant to go and stone her if anything they gave a rock to her own son. The black box and the tradition of the lottery have caused crumbling minds. To them, it is just a yearly activity that they are hesitant to question despite the fact that it puts everyone’s life on the

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