Symbolism in the Lottery Essay Example

play a huge part in the symbolism of the story.

There are four main names that particularly stand out, the first of which being Summers. Mr. Summers is the official for the whole lottery process and we meet him early in the story. Summer as a season means the height of life and happiness. This is very ironic through the course of the story because of the dark nature of the tradition.This name also helps reinforce the setting of the story.

Another last name that helps portray the story is Warner. The most apparent thing about this name is if you were to look directly at it because he “warns” the townspeople about stopping the tradition. When referring to quitting the lottery old man Warner says, “Nothing but trouble in that; Pack of young fools”. (191) He is also a symbol of luck because he is seventy seven years (seven being a lucky number) old and still hasn’t been drawn for the lottery.

The final name to look at is Hutchinson.This is the last name of the woman who got draw for the lottery at the end. Hutchinson was also the last name of the first woman prosecuted for being a witch in the Salem trials. This is important because the town is using her as a scapegoat to wash away, so to speak, their sins.

They are also doing the same thing with the Mrs. Hutchinson in the story. The stones and the children in the story play a large role as far as symbolism and in the physical sense as well. First you can look at why the author chose stones. Stones are

barbaric and archaic.Maybe the author is trying to show just how ancient the tradition is.

Also this represents the cleansing of the town, each rock is representing an individual sin and they are all taking it out on a single person or a scapegoat. You can first see the role of the stones in the first paragraph when the children are playing with them. ” Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones and the other boys soon to follow his example choosing the smoothest and roundest stones”. (187). The children are also important symbol.

They represent purity and innocence and also a sense of irony since they are playing with the very tool of murder to Mrs. Hutchinson. Based on the facts in the short story “the Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, can see how important symbolism was to this story. The main three symbols to show this is the black box, the last names, the children, and the stones. These symbols not only help you understand this story but, also what role symbols play in any story.

Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. XJ Kennedy and Dana Giora 2nd Ed. New York: Longman, 2008.

187-193.