The box that holds the fate of the people in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson represents death, the tradition of the townspeople, and alludes to the underlying theme that cautions against following tradition blindly. The short story involves a lottery that the people of the town participate in, where instead of winning money, they “win” death. It follows the Hutchinson family, specifically the matriarch, Tessie Hutchinson, who will end up “winning.” The box that holds the slips of paper that decide who dies is the representation of the tradition of the lottery that they follow and death. The color black depicts death, which is the color that the box is. In addition, the box’s shabby condition represents the custom. The box is shabby from many
