Analysis_of_the_Lottery

Analysis of the Lottery by “Shirley Jackson” “The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson, is a shocking parable. “The Lottery” is set in a small village on a clear summer day. Written in objective third person point of view, “The Lottery” keeps the reader in suspense and makes one believe that it is a light hearted story until it takes a dark turn at the end The purpose of The Lottery is to ensure enough rain to have a good corn crop the following June. The story develops around the misguided belief that if the villagers sacrifice one of their own to what readers are led to believe is a Rain God, then they will have good crops. “The Lottery” has many obvious themes and symbols. One of the main themes to this story is tradition. In relation to the theme, Old Man Warner is a symbol of tradition. He expresses grief over the dwindling traditional values of the new generation. This is evident in his statement about them when he says, “Pack of crazy fools…Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them,” (S. Jackson P.426) indicating that he thinks the lottery is a good idea simply because it is tradition. He lasted through seventy-seven lotteries in which tradition was upheld with ceremony and circumstance. He could not understand the younger generation’s lack of traditionalism. This brings up the next theme, which is people hate change because human nature is constant. “Mr. Summers spoke 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,” ,(S. Jackson P.423) this statement clearly shows the villagers’ dislike for change. Even though “the black box grew shabbier each year”, (S. Jackson P. 423) the people determinedly held to custom. This also shows that though the lottery may be an immoral act, it is upheld by tradition and the peoples’ reluctance to any deviation in their customary lives. Sacrifice and compliance are also part of the theme. The lottery is a sacrifice of human life to the belief that in doing so, they would be better off for it. There is no rationality to their notion of human sacrifice. The only reason that is given in the story for this is stated by Old Man Warner, “Used to be a saying about ‘Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.”, (S. Jackson P.426) His statement implies that the lottery is a sacrifice for an abundant harvest. The theme of compliance is extremely prevalent in the story. The villagers comply with the annual lottery with no questioning it. Tessie Hutchinson draws the black spot and is doomed to her death. The black spot along with the black box are both symbols of death. The color black lends itself to the tone of the story. Graves is the man who carries in the black box and the three-legged stool. His name hints to what will happen to Tessie Hutchinson. The symbolism found in the black box is a key point in understanding the importance of tradition in the theme of the story. The introduction of the black box into the story changes the mood and ambiance of the crowd of people. The reason being is, the box holds the key between life and death for each and every one of them. The black box symbolizes all the evil acts performed in the past and the ones to come. Even the color of the box is a symbol for evil. The box is painted in black, which has always been a universal symbol for evil and death. The box is also described to have been made “with some pieces of the box that had preceded it, the one that had been constructed when the first people settled down to make a village”., (S. Jackson P.423) The villagers refused Mr. Summers’ request of making a new box, but they were so stuck in the tradition that they did not want anything to upset it. Jackson uses some of the characters names as symbols that give subtle hints as to what is going to happen in the story. Jackson also uses the names of the characters to give the reader an idea of what purpose the characters serve in the story. The name “Delacroix” derives from de la Croix ("of the Cross"), (Wikipedia). The name Graves is self-explanatory. The man conducting the Lottery that will send someone to their grave is named “Mr. Graves”. Jackson flawlessly uses symbols; names, actions, statements of characters, and objects to give hints as to the direction of the story and to support her many themes. From the pile of stones, which have been used throughout history to stone people to death to the man named “Graves” who runs the lottery that will send Tessie to her grave.