Symbol
Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” conveys how communal mores eclipse the importance of individuality and act as the puppeteer of society. In order to underscore the detrimental effects of such regulated behavior, Jackson employs a writing style laden with symbolism. In doing so, she encourages her audience to read the passage actively and to consider all facets of the dilemma. One of the most prominent symbols is the color black, representing the corruptive forces of capitalism perpetuating the town’s annual lottery, carrying out the selection of an unassuming individual.
Jackson colors the ritual with this dark imagery, associating the color black with the box that contains the lottery slips. The hue itself connotes death and affliction creating an ominous aura. The description of the black box reflects how the community members have become prisoners to the will of social decree. Jackson describes, “ The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained”. A careful reader discerns the dual meaning of this excerpt, alluding not only to the physical decay of the box; but also, to the corroded practice of the lottery.
The townspeople avoid replacing the box and distance themselves from the responsibility as much as possible. They respond to the black box in awe and in fear as if it were some great power. Indeed, the community members responsible for arranging the event are the wealthy figureheads of the town. For example, Mr. Summers who is in charge of the black box and conducting the ceremony is also the most powerful business owner in the town. Consequently, the community projects their respect for the lottery to lofty prowess of the wealthy, reinforcing the ideals of capitalism.
The time-honored tradition of the lottery has evoked a certain respect among the people to the extent of personal human sacrifice. Jackson colors the event with dark imagery to relate the corruptive forces of capitalism. Just as the box continues to splinter and fade, the tradition of the lottery continues to erode the welfare of society.
Theme
Shirley Jackson explores the theme of social class division in “The Lottery.” The town’s social class division is unwittingly built around the “lottery.”

The town’s social ladder is broken down into people with the most powerful occupations, only men were employed in these occupations. As the owner of the coal business, Mr. Summers was the most powerful businessman in the town. Mr. Graves, the post office official, and Mr. Martin, the town grocer, were the other prominent businessmen in the town. The townsman in charge of conducting the lottery was Mr.
Summers; his occupation allowed him the “time and energy to devote to civic activities.”
Mr. Graves and Mr. Martin also aided Mr. Summers during the lottery. The wealthiest people in the town not only had economic control, but the lottery instilled their political control in the town as well. Other men in the town, although not directly in charge of the lottery, had more power then women. The men were the ones to choose the lottery slip for the family, placing them in charge of the family.
The lottery itself is built around the “winner,” one such that instills social division.
Jackson carefully placed previous examples of the lottery’s victims. Throughout the story, it is implied that the lottery winner has always attained qualities that the townspeople found less desirable and that the person chosen was also a social scapegoat.
Mr. Summers’ wife was a likely victim of the lottery. The townspeople felt sorry for Mr.
Summers, because he did not have a family. His wife was a scold, thus she did not have much work ethic. Jackson tactfully implied that she was a former victim of the lottery.
Women it seems are the ones most often at the mercy of the lottery. Women in the story are ones that seem to have the least amount of work ethic. The lottery’s choice of Tessie
Hutchinson was easily predicted. Her lack of work ethic was displayed as the only member of the town to arrive to the lottery late.
The social class division of the town is determined by the work ethic of the townspeople and in turn is unconsciously motivated by the lottery. As in modern society, their whole social structure was built around something that no one consciously realized; therefore, no one questioned the lottery and the present social class division was instilled.
Title
Writer Shirley Jackson, best known for her dark works of literature, weaves a careful web of symbolism through the title of her shorts story “The Lottery.” The background of the story describes a small rural town set in the twentieth century gathering together for the yearly “lottery”. The words, “the lottery,” immediately bring to mind the conventional idea of a lucky jackpot-winner, but writer Shirley Jackson had a different image in mind when using these words to title her haunting short story (Griffin, 44). By manipulating this deceptive image, Jackson creates an abrupt and shocking ending, and sheds light on humanity’s tendency to cling to meaningless rituals.
In the story, the warm summer day, the children’s play, the casual chatter, and the air of

suppressed anticipation of the village on the day of the lottery attune the reader’s expectations towards a positive outcome for the lottery. When the reader learns of the unjust and senseless murder for the first time, this knowledge comes as an extreme shock.
The audience, having a conventional understanding of a lottery, assumes its implications are positive. Jackson decides to title her story “the Lottery;” thus, deliberately plays off her reader’s assumptions, hiding her subtle yet powerful themes and symbols from their immediate notice. A close examination of the story draws attention to details such as the life and death symbolism found in the names of the town leaders Mr. Summers and Mr.
Graves (Nebeker, 101). Revelation of these symbols conveys meaningful clues behind the ordinary activities and dialogue witnessed that day.
Once the initial shock of the sacrificial murder has worn off, the title of “The Lottery” begins to take on a whole new meaning, pointing to man’s blind devotion to tradition.
Shirley Jackson uses the phrase “The Lottery” represent a view on human rituals.
Disturbing enough is the fact that the lottery’s origin stems from the pagan ritual of sacrificing a human life for prosperities sake; however, more unsettling is the fact that in
“The Lottery,” the reasoning behind the ritual has long been forgotten. This is evidenced in the story through old Mr. Warner, whose sole voice recalling a vague perception of the lottery’s impact on crop fertility is the only specific reasoning given for the ritual.
Notably, some of the townspeople, such as the Adams, appear to have apprehensions about carrying on the tradition; yet, their lack of courage keeps from challenging the status quo (Jackson). From the town’s practice of this meaningless ritual, Jackson paints a bleak picture of humanity; “Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.” (Jackson) The violence stands for nothing, but it is all that they remember, and only when the lottery victim faces death, do logic and reasoning find a voice.
“The Lottery,” which at first glances seems to foreshadow prosperity and wealth, actually illuminates man’s tendency to revert to violence when ancient customs go unchecked (Griffian, 46). One critic, Helen Nebeker, comments that the extreme injustice was “not of hatred, or malice, or primitive fear, but of the primitive ritual itself”
(Nebeker, 108). The contrast of this theme in the story to the conventional meaning of the phrase makes “The Lottery” an ingenious and thought provoking title for this haunting tale.
Works Cited
Griffian, Amy A. “Jackson’s ‘The Lottery.’” The
Explicator 58:1 (1999): 44-46.
Jackson, Shirley “The Lottery and Other Stories.” New York:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1982.
Nebeker, Helen E. “‘The Lottery’: Symbolic Tour de Force.”
American Literature 46.1 (1974): 100-108.

Protagonist
In the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, Mr. Joe Summers demonstrates the social disparity in the town, in which the leaders are the people who are economically advantaged. Mr. Joe Summers, the most powerful man in the town, owns the largest business, the coal industry. His role in the lottery as an official confirms his social standing in the town, as well as exempting him from it. Mr. Summers not only carries out the lottery, he also conducts many other events in the town such as the square dances, the teen club and the Halloween program. Jackson writes “he had time and energy to devote to civic activities” (Kosenko), which suggests Mr. Summers has leisure and money to allow him to do other than work to earn a living.
Mr. Graves, the postmaster, is another major character in the story; like Mr. Summers, he also has a leading role in the annual lottery, which explains his social standing in the town. He helps Mr. Summers make the lottery slips and he stores the black box where all the slips are kept in either his barn or in the post office every now and then. His very name, Mr. Graves, implies grave and death, which is also a theme of the story. The punishment for the winner of the lottery is to be stoned to death; his name, especially since he is an official of the lottery, implicates this idea.
Mr. Martin has an economic advantage in the town because he is a grocer. He is also an important character because, like Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves, Mr. Martin also holds a leading role in the lottery. He and his children help steady the black box at the lottery. It is very important to note that the people who are in charge of the lottery are also those who are socially dominant in the town because social division is the central theme of the story.
Mrs. Tessie Hutchinson is also a major character in the story; yet, in a different aspect from the other major characters that have economic and political advantages. She is the winner of the lottery, and consequently gets stoned by the villagers, including her family members. Her late arrival to the lottery is justification for her fate, and it is an important symbol in the story. The lottery is an old ritual, designed to punish the most unproductive person in town. People in the town believe unconsciously that their commitment to a work ethic will eliminate them from being selected in the lottery. Thus, Mrs.
Hutchinson’s late arrival to the lottery suggests her unpunctuality and lack of work ethic, which is why she wins the lottery.
Works Cited
“Kosenko.” A Reading of Shirley Jackson’s Short Story “The
Lottery”. 27 Mar. 2003.
http://www.netwood.net/~kosenko/jackson.html.