“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson takes what seems to be a typical small town setting and turns it into a much more chilling occasion. Jackson’s theme of the dark side of human nature is revealed through symbolism and irony. In "The Lottery," Jackson shows how people in today's society are tainted and will blindly follow a tradition, even if it is immoral. Jackson implants a great deal of symbolism into “The Lottery;” even the title itself is a symbol. A lottery according to our own modern definition is a game of chance that is played all across America where people try to achieve the jackpot, typically something that is commonly sought after. At first glance, the title of the story infers that it will be a light-hearted and pleasurable story.
