Introduction
Shirley Jackson wrote a story titled "The Lottery" and it was first released in 1948. It describes the gathering of locals from a small New England village in the town square to perform the lottery. By selecting the white slips of paper from the black box, they participated in the draw. A individual would be stoned to death if they chose the piece of paper with the black dot. Shirley Jackson used a variety of symbols in her story "The Lottery" to explain to the locals what the story's significance was. This essay aims at discussing three symbols including the stones, the black box and the marked slip of paper used by the author in 'The Lottery' to reveal the meaning to the reader.
The Stones
The stones are a symbol of death in 'The Lottery.' They are used by the villagers for stoning the person who picks the marked slip of paper. The stones are also a symbol of unity among the villagers in supporting the tradition of the lottery and no one can oppose to that. This is evident when Tessie, Bill's wife is protesting the drawing not to be stoned by the villagers. However, they can't listen to her and are collecting and throwing the stones to kill Tessie. Jackson states "It isn't fair," she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head. Old Man Warner was saying, "Come on, come on, everyone." It shows that throwing those stones is a sign of violence and a way of equality in which the villagers cast their ballot in support of the continual playing of the lottery. The narrator in 'The Lottery' states that "[the villagers] still [remember] to use the stones" which is a symbol of death created by the crowd. In this case, the stones are not only for stoning but also to be used in unity by the villagers. They are a sign that every person in the village should take part in the lottery tradition including children and the elderly. From the narrators' point of view, the stones also symbolize weapons of murder since the first tools used by humans to kill were created using stone. It is a sign that the ancestors who played the lottery embraced a human ritual that was violent. Stones also symbolize the community punishment that a person would get if found in abomination as well as reinforcing the beliefs of a group.
The Black Box
In 'The Lottery,' the black box is a symbol symbolizes the original box that had been lost for many years. Therefore, one can say that it replaces the old one. When the black box is placed on the stool and when the narrator mentions it, no villager can remember the original box lost many years back. This black box has been in use for a long time even before the birth of Warner, the oldest man in the entire town. The black box as used by Shirley Jackson in 'The Lottery' is a physical expression of how the villagers are connected to the tradition of the lottery. Mr. Summers is talking about coming up with a new box. However, the people do not like the idea as they believe that they are going to violate the tradition with which the black box represents. Jackson stated that "No one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box." In this case, one can conclude that the black box is a symbol of the tradition for the lottery. The villages do not know how the lottery started. They believe in that tradition as they see the black box and follow these beliefs and playing the lottery as it has been in the past. The villagers believed that the black box comprises of shards of the box used in the earlier times which was the original box. They utilized this relic of times in the past for the purpose of perpetuating a tradition that is violent and unmerciful. Even though the black box is highly held as an important tradition by the villagers, in the Lottery, it is a symbol that they are leaving it slowly. Jackson states that "It had spent one year in Mr. Graves's barn and another year underfoot in the post office and sometimes it was set on a shelf in the Martin grocery and left there." From this statement, it is seen that the black box as a symbol of tradition in the lottery is losing its functionality and the villagers only use it for only two hours in the month of June. The black box is losing its meaning as time passes even though the people in the town do not want to let it go just like the lottery.
The Marked Slip of Paper
The marked slip of paper is a symbol of equality to the villagers with which no one is more superior to the other. It denotes the victim to be executed every year after picking the slip of paper with the single dark dot. The dot in the paper is what makes the slip a blemish and this is related to a disease. The mark appearing on the slip of paper is a symbol that he person who picked should be destroyed because that person is harmful to others. All of the participants to the lottery are subject to the horrible fate of the person winning the lottery. For example, in the story, Shirley Jackson states that "All of us took the same chance." These are the words of the villagers reminding Mrs. Bill, Tessie who is protesting against the stoning of her husband after he draws the marked skip. The marked slips in the black box are a representation of the quality of death that an individual cannot escape irrespective of one's status or virtue. They also symbolize a change from the old tradition of using wood chips. In the past, people used wood chips and this is replaced by the marked slip of paper. The marked slip of paper is a sign of meaningless lottery. The dot on the paper is the work of Mr. Summers the night prior to the lottery. Jackson states that "It is the marked slip of paper with the pencil dot Mr. Summers made the night before." It was a casually made mark and anyone could make making the lottery pointless. It shows that the market slip of paper does not have any power by itself except the one given by the villagers by sticking to the lottery tradition.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Shirley Jackson uses symbols to demonstrate the traditions of the villagers in New England during that time. They were not justifiable for use in killing innocent people by stoning. The stones, the black box and the marked slip of paper are symbols that enable a reader in understanding the direction of the author in passing the message in the story. They are signs of how people want to cling to unworthy traditions that support violence in the society. From Tessie's killing by throwing of stones by the villagers, it is a clear indication that men have subverted their natural instinct of protecting women. A person can say that 'The Lottery' is more of a parable than a story because it is filled with symbols. It demonstrates a society without the ability to provide reasons for holding dangerous traditions such as the lottery. Instead, they follow those traditions blindly to hurt innocent people.
Work Cited
Jackson, Shirley, The Lottery, 1948.
