Shirley Jackson’s book The Lottery

Shirley Jackson’s novel The Lottery and Symbolism

Shirley Jackson’s novel The Lottery is about the barbaric traditional practices of a small town. In the novel, one of the traditional rites is a sacrificial rite, which Shirley Jackson describes in detail, including the selection process known to the locals as the lottery. Shirley employs various forms of symbolism to achieve various results throughout the novel.

The Symbolism of Mr. Graves

Shirley uses the name Mr. Graves, which refers to one of the characters, as a reference in her novel. Mr. Graves is the town’s Postman, and he is in charge of distributing news to the residents of the town, including the name of the individual who will be stoned. In the story, Mr. Graves helps Mr. Summers to direct the lottery ceremony to select a human sacrifice whereby he carries the three-legged stool. Mr. Grave’s symbolism is of great importance as it shows fear manifestation in the people because he is the bearer of bad news. When Martin and Baxter were requested by Mr. Graves to assist in securing the black box, there was hesitation because of fear before they were able to come forward and help (Jackson, S2005). Mr. Graves as the name suggests relates to death and cemetery since he aids in selecting the person to get killed. The author’s purpose of including Mr. Graves as a symbol is to show the authority that death has over the people of the town.

The Symbolism of the Black Box

Another symbol Shirley Jackson used in The Lottery is the black box. The black box is a container used by the people of the town to pick papers to determine the person who will be sacrificed that summer. In the story, the original paraphernalia used for the lottery were lost, and the black box rested on the three-legged stool (Jackson, S2005). The black box is significant because it shows the tradition of the people and their devotion to it as it is worn out but they cannot replace it to affect tradition. The black box symbolizes culture and tradition of the forefathers of the town which is associated with doom and sacrifice. The color black is mostly associated with impurity or death, and the black box symbolizes absolute doom to the person selected for sacrifice through stoning. The author’s purpose of including the black box as a symbol in the story is to show the loyalty and devotion of the people to the long-held tradition of selecting human sacrifices.

The Symbolism of the Number Three

Numbers, especially number three, is another symbol used by Shirley Jackson in her story The Lottery. In the story, the black box of doom rests on the stool that has three legs and is set before the members of the town for the lottery ceremony to begin (Jackson, S2005). The number three, as seen in the three-legged stool, gives people hope for a better future after the accomplishment of the lottery ceremony. The number three symbolizes the Holy Trinity in the Christian religion, which comprises the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the author incorporating the number three as a symbol in the story is to show that the whole lottery ceremony is on the grounds of the Christian faith. In the Bible, some of the martyrs were stoned to show their innocence and that the three elements of the Holy Trinity are what guided them to accept the punishment.

Conclusion

The various types of symbols incorporated in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson make the story more interesting and broaden the intellect of the reader. The symbols also add value to the theme of the story regarding religion, culture, and traditions of the people of the small town.

Work Cited

Jackson, S. (2005). The Lottery and Other Stories. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.