Symbolism in the lottery

Symbolism in The Lottery


Symbolism is a technique used as an enhancement tool to stress the theme of a story. Symbols actively involve the reader and expand the meanings of a story. Symbols also work on our minds in subtle ways, providing the subconscious pieces to a puzzle that makes us want to keep reading and to figure out what is going to happen next. In other words, symbols add texture to a story because without them, the story is flat. In Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery,” she uses many symbols to make us aware of the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to show that names, objects and acts are all symbolic to the story.
The names used in the story are symbolic. The names of Graves, Summers, Warner, Delacroix and Hutchinson hint at the true nature of the characters. Jackson uses the name Mr. Graves as the coordinator of the lottery. His name can be viewed as a symbol of death as it hints...