Jackson's Use Of Symbolism In The Lottery, By Shirley Jackson

“The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson, takes the reader on a sociological ride through a human’s most primitive side. Set in a 1960’s farming town in America, on the clear and sunny morning of June 27, the reader gets a very peaceful feeling as the story begins. Although, as the story progresses unto the end, the reader is thrown into a story that could only come out of someone’s deepest nightmares. The brilliance of Shirley Jackson is shown by her use of symbolism, she takes everyday items, and people and turns them into something much deeper. Three of the main symbols she uses are Mr. Warner, Mr. Summers, and the black box. Although these objects may seem like they are only skin deep, Shirley turns them into something much more symbolic. The first symbol in Jackson’s story is Mr. Warner. On the surface, Mr. Warner is portrayed as the town’s oldest man and is complaining the whole time he is there. Jackson continues by saying, “Seventy-seventh year I been in the lottery," Old Man Warner said as he went through the crowd. "Seventy-seventh time” (page 5). This shows the reader that this tradition of the lottery has been going on for at least seventy-seven years. Jackson also portrays Mr. Warner as a voice of reason, or an informer for the townspeople. Jackson does this by saying “… 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. ' First thing you know, we 'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns. There 's …show more content…
She used every day objects and people such as the black box, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Summers, and she made their symbols go much deeper. The reason this short story is so memorable is because she uses the “iceberg effect” on her symbols. On the surface they play a simple role, but as you go deeper into their meanings you can see that they play a huge role in the story. Jacksons brilliance is shown through the short story, and her use of symbols is what makes her story so