Introduction
Shirley Jackson, in her story “The Lottery” uses symbolism to portray certain aspects of the traditional society. In her narration, the traditional event that begins in a bright and joyous summer ends in the execution through stoning. She uses people, objects, and actions in a symbolic way to express her feelings towards certain traditions. The symbols include; the lottery, the Black box, and certain character names.
The Lottery
The lottery event symbolizes behaviors, activities, or beliefs passed on from one generation to the next, acknowledged and followed without being questioned by the people. The behaviors or actions might be strange, harsh and irrational but the people are afraid of abandoning them for the fear of what might happen. A lottery is a traditional event that has been happening in the village, and none of the villagers understand its origin. The people perceive the event as part of their culture, and fear that doing away with it, like in the other villages, may have serious consequences. The results in this event are that someone gets killed without a logical judgment or reason, and the victim is denied the opportunity to defend themselves. The lottery represents the unchallenged traditions and rites in our society, and she questions the things, even though they are not inherent, that is performed because they have always been done in the past. She also portrays the consequences of followingbizarre and cruel traditions without challenging their relevance to the society.
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The Black Box
The box used in the lottery event represents the bizarre and cruel traditions of the town. The box is not the original lottery box but some parts of it are believed to have been derived from the original box. This indicates that the actual connection to the original sense of lottery might be gone. The box has worn out which can be attributed to the many years of usage, but the villagers are unwilling to replace it. In this case, the tradition has lost relevance but the people are reluctant to abandon it. The color of the box is black which symbolizes evil and cruel, a color suggesting death. In this scenario, the black box symbolizes death to the villagers, and that is attributed to the executions every year resulting from the tradition. The condition of the box represents the gradual alteration and decay of the outdatedideas that were the basis for the lottery concept. No one questions the origin of the box but accepts the consequences of the tradition.
Names of Certain Characters
Notably, certain names used in the story are symbolic especially Mr. Summers, and Mr. Graves. For instance, Mr. Summers represents the lottery event itself. He owns a coal business in the village and is also manages the lottery. His name suggests the period when the lottery event is held, that is, in the summer. The other character, Mr. Graves, assists Mr summers in organizing the event of selecting the victim. His name signifies the element of death, which is an essential aspect of the lottery process. Mr. Adams is the first one to draw from the lottery box, and his name demonstrates that the narrative is appropriate to everybody. This can be attributed to biblical story that Adam was the first human being on earth, and therefore a representation of humanity.
Conclusion
Shirley Jackson uses symbolism in her story “The Lottery ” to illustrate her dislike for oppressive and cruel traditional practices which are irrelevant to the society. She uses symbols, especially the lottery itself, certain objects like the black box, and the character names to portray how societies engage in bizarre, cruel, and outdated traditions without questioning their relevance, and the consequences of those traditions.
