The Lottery Analysis
Explain How “The Lottery” Could Be Considered an Allegory
As an allegorical short story, Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery is a good example. A lottery is defined as the means or situation whose success or outcome is often governed by luck or opportunity. Within the story, the reader learns that there is a lottery that happens each year in a rural town. The tradition happens every year, and the visitor notices that the villagers do not know what they practice (Jackson, 2016). In addition to the lottery, allegorical use is witnessed through the description of the characters. In this case, they are all symbolic and represent a different meaning. One known character is Mr. Summer, whose name symbolizes the wealth and lifestyle he lives as a result of the winnings from the lottery. Another character is called Mr. Graves, whose name signifies what is to come in the future. The end of the article is also a form of Allegory as rebelliousness is witnessed in The Lottery. This a representation of what seems to be a sad ending since a character is protesting against a community tradition.
What Symbols Can You Identify In The Story? Explain What They Might Symbolize?
The Lottery
One of the symbols found in the story is the lottery. In this case, the lottery represents an action, behavior, or an idea accepted by one generation to the other regardless of it being illogical or strange. For a long time, the lottery had been taking place in the village and became an annual ritual activity.
The Black Box
As the lottery takes place, there is a “shabby” black box that represents the tradition of the lottery. However, “shabby” the box is, the villagers do not want to get a new one, and this seems illogical. For the village, this symbolized an unending loyalty for the cultures and activities that hold meaning for them.
Stoning
At the end of the story, stoning is witnessed as one of the oldest forms of execution, and it is symbolic. The activity is symbolic since it is widely used throughout the Bible. This is due to its symbolic meaning of martyrs being stoned to death. For the village, stoning people was symbolic of dying as a hero.
Is the conclusion of the story come as a surprise? Why? Explain why you think Jackson sets up the story in this way; go beyond the shock readers experience to offer analysis as to why this ending is significant to the overall themes in the story.
Yes, the ending of the lottery was a surprise. Jackson set up the story this way because he wants to keep the audience in suspense, especially during the stoning act (Jackson, 2016). In the ending, there is the piling of stones that indicates that Jackson wishes the audience to guess what will happen next. The “victim” of the story is called Tessie Hutchinson, who rebels against the community tradition of playing The Lottery. This leads to a stoning act since the community wants to preserve its tradition. A major theme prevalent in The Lottery is foreshadowing, which seems to legitimize the stoning act. This is shocking since, in any normal community, such an activity would not be condoned. However, Jackson did reveal some of the details that hinted the activity would occur. Also, members of the community are seen chatting in a friendly way, and one would not expect that they would turn so violent, leading to a shocking ending.