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Christopher John Labbate
Professor Zino
English 162W
Essay #2
“Mythical Space” Through Symbolism
Throughout “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson uses the literary element of certain symbols
to reflect on social rituals, and in some cases how they can be inhumane and brutal. In
conversation with Yi-Fu Tuan’s notion of “mythical space” and Clifford Geertz’s definition of
“religion,” reveals that the lottery in Jackson’s story operates as part of a cultural system. In
Jackson’s mysterious town, the characters act upon this system in which the expression of
“religion as a mythical space” is perfected with the strong implementation of symbolic actions,
rituals, characters, and the use of special objects.
As the story begins so does the ritual in which three hundred village people gather
together each year on June 27 and practice this social ritual. According to Geertz, “man” needs
some type of “blueprint” or “book” in order to build a certain religious belief or idea. (60) In
connection with Jackson, the village people use the symbolic objects that seem quite significant
in the ritual that takes place within their community each year. The “black box” and “the pile of
stones” not only foreshadow the final scene in which Tessie Hutchinson is stoned to death, but
signifies that without these two “sacred” objects, the ritual cannot continue each year in the
decreasing number of their townspeople one by one. In a religious sense, characters such as
Bobby Martin, Harry Jones, and Dickie Delacroix are seen in guarding the pile of stones to
suggest that these ordinary rocks are actually quite important to such a sacrifice. The cultural
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values that are implemented in the beginning of the story are the significance and importance of
ritual objects.
The “black box” is used to draw one “lucky” person during the “lottery” so that he or she
could be stoned to death in this social inhumane ritual. Although the original black box was lost,
along with most of its ritual process, such as using wood chips instead of white slips of paper to
drawer the lottery: “Mr. Summers began talking about a new box, but every year the subject was
allowed to fade off without anything’s being done.” (Jackson 248) In other words, no one wants
to create a new “black box” because many of the villagers feel that the ritual will be lost or
changed. The “black box” simply stands for fundamentals of “a conception of localized values
which people carry on their practical activities.” The black box gets “shabbier” each year and
the attitudes of some villagers want to end the lottery, but the tradition continues. The “black
box” has been used for so long that the narrator notes that the color of the box is faded and some
spots along it are splintered badly.
Tuan helps connect the reader with the author by showing that these localized values
revolve around this “black box.” The choice of life, death, and a final sacrifice of an unlucky
person are all chosen from the “black box.” In connection with the “black box” the white slips
have the symbolic meeting in which one of them is marked by a dark black dot. The black dot
symbolizes not only darkness, but death. To unfold this story into greater detail, Geertz reveals
that social systems and rituals serve as a type of “doctrine.” In other words, the “black box” and
the papers in it serve as a type of bind within the community, a type of pact that signifies that a
community must go against one individual each year and create the ultimate inhumane act by
stoning him or her to death.
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At this point of the story, it is crucial to understand the significance of certain characters
and how all come together and practice this cultural belief within their village. Tuan states that
“All people require a sense of order and fitness in their environment” (88) and “Mythical space is
also a response of feeling and imagination of fundamental needs.” (99) Mrs. Delacroix is one of
the first characters to be introduced as friendly in the beginning and surprisingly the ultimate
backstabber at the celebration of Tessie Hutchinson’s death initiation. As many of the villagers
hesitate to throw stones at their fellow villager, friend, Mrs. Delacroix utters the words, “Come
on, Hurry up” as she hits Tessie with a large stone. (Jackson 252)
In relation to Mrs. Delacroix, Old Man Warner is also one of the first to follow her and
throw his stones at Tessie Hutchinson. Old Man Warner has been in the lottery for over seventy
years and he symbolizes the “conservative” attitude to keep the lottery going and never to end
this ritual. Geertz describes symbolic actions “establish powerful, pervasive, long-lasting moods
and motivations in men.” (59) Jackson creates the character of Old Man Warner to show the
loyalty of him towards this localized practice. Old Man Warner is the first to state that the
lottery should never stop and is also the first to condemn the younger villagers who slowly wait
to throw the stones at Tessie who is crying, “This isn’t fair.” (Jackson 252). Old Man Warner
exemplifies how the older villagers feel more comfortable in this type of ritual environment
along with fitting into this inhumane cultural belief. Geertz’s ideas of “powerful” and “long
lasting moods” due to religion (ritual) are exemplified primarily in Old Man Warner for he is the
one who encourages everyone in the end to toss their stones quickly to end Tessie’s life. Not
only is Old Man Warner ritually proficient, his empowerment of this ritual has gone to his head,
and this is the only activity he supports until he is finally the one chosen to be sacrificed. Both
Old Man Warner and Mrs. Delacroix feel comfortable with such an inhumane cultural belief and
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it is no surprise that they are the first two to toss their stones at Tessie Hutchinson as she begs for
her life.
In comparison with Old Man Warner and Mrs. Delacroix, Mr. Summers is quite
significant during this ritual process as well. Mr. Summers feels that the “black box” should be
remade and to be kept in a lock up at the Coal Company where he works. Not only does this
symbolize change, but the importance as if the “black box” symbolized the “Arch of the
Covenant” in which Moses promised to safe guard it at all times. Mr. Summers’ character shows
the community how important this ritual is towards the townspeople. After being sworn in by
the postmaster as the head of the lottery, the ritual was celebrated by a chant and salute. This
symbolic ritual has a powerful effect on the community as they cheer and go wild for having Mr.
Summers as the new head of the lottery. This strong symbolic ritual gives Mr. Summer the
comfort of his environment by giving him a certain duty to perform during the ritual and to live
his life by. Mr. Summers, “was very good at all this; in his clean white shirt and blue jeans, with
one hand resting carelessly on the black box, he seemed very proper and important..” (Jackson
249) At this moment of the story, many of the villagers looked up to him and supported his
cause for making the lottery as fun, yet serious as possible.
Unlike Mr. Summers and the others, Tessie Hutchinson is the symbolic character, who
finally unfolds the story to the bitter and surprising conclusion of Shirley Jackson’s fictional
story. Tessie Hutchinson jokes and feels slightly comfortable within her environment until she is
chosen to be stoned to death by her fellow villagers. Tessie Hutchison symbolically represents
the yearly “scapegoat” that is chosen and then abandoned by the community through the negative
ritual process of death.
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In the conclusion of “The Lottery,” Jackson strongly relates with Geertz and Tuan that
the creation of such symbolic rituals is something that every culture does and that such rituals
can be useful and provide nourishment. From the beginning of the story, the reader closely
comes closer and closer to find out how Tuan and his notion of “mythical space” are supported
by Jackson’s “symbolic ritual and actions.” By the end of the story, the reader clearly sees that
the community creates a “mythical space” by implementing an inhumane ritual in which they
somewhat enjoy. Due to the continuity of this symbolic ritual with the sacrifice killing of a
villager each year, a mythical space within the community is formulated and put into effect each
and every year. Tuan and Geertz relate their religious or symbolic rituals to positive outcomes
within certain cultures, such as the Chinese and their belief of the cosmos, or Christianity and
their belief in resurrection and power of Christ. (Tuan 98-100) Shirley Jackson on the other hand
exemplifies these ideas from Tuan and Geertz, but reveals that the subtle nature of some
symbolic systems are inhumane and in fact could be negatively implemented with certain
societies. On a final note, Jackson exposes to us the truth that in some cases, social rituals can be
inhumane and brutal, and that such brutality could sneak up on us without realizing the effects it
has on the individual or community as a whole.
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Works Cited
Geertz, Clifford. “Religion as a Cultural System,” Anthropological Approaches to the Study of
Religion. London, 1966. Abridged.
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. An Introduction to Fiction. Boston: Longman, 2010. Print.
Tuan, Yi-Fu. Space and Place: the Perspective of Experience. Minneapolis, Minn. [u.a.: Univ. of
Minnesota, 2008. Print.