Essay on The Lottery: A Fateful Annual Tradition in a Small Town

The Lottery is a short story written by an American writer Shirley Jackson about the annual lottery in a small fictional town in New England. The story was first published on June 26th,1948, edition of The New Yorker. On the morning of June 27th, residents of the small town gather in the town square for their annual lottery. The children are the first to arrive, followed by the adults. The responsibility for conducting the lottery is given to one man known as Joe Summers, who, for some reason, always has the time and energy for civic activities. At the center of all this is a black wooden box that contains paper slips. The event appears festive at first, but as the story progresses, it becomes evident that no one wants to win the lottery except for Tessie Hutchinson, who seemed eager to take part in the event. The price for the winner is death by stoning, and ironically, Mrs. Hutchinson gets to be the one to win the lottery. Her attempts to protest the circumstances of her win fall to deaf ears as the rest of the villagers, including her family members, grab some stones and start throwing them at her. The author has sued some literary elements that contribute to the overall effectiveness of the work. Literary elements include the theme, power of tradition, imagery that includes descriptive language, foreshadowing, and symbols such as the lottery, the Blackbox, and the stones to enhance the overall appeal of the story.

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The central theme being portrayed in the story is the power of tradition. The lottery itself is an age-old practice that is deeply rooted in the town's culture. Tradition is the main reason for the townspeople to participate in the event, and most of them are hesitant to let go of the age-old practice. In the story, the author says that the black box has been used even before Mr. Warner, who is the oldest person in the town, was born. That information shows that none of the current town inhabitants started the tradition. They all inherited from those who came before them. Tradition holds so much power over the town inhabitants that few are unwilling to make changes to it. The story provides several clues of that instant. Jackson says, "Summers frequently spoke to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box. There was a story that the present box had" (pg.2). Summers was trying to persuade the townspeople to make a new box because the one being used shabby due to its age. That shows just how much the townspeople wanted to follow tradition. The same point is displayed when Mr. Adams said, " Mr. Adams said to Old Man Warner, who stood next to him, "that over in the north village they are talking of giving up the lottery"(pg.5). Warner's response was very critical of that comment. He went so far as to call them "Pack of crazy fools" (pg.5). According to Mr. Warner, it is foolish to abandon the lottery because there has always been a lottery. The power of tradition is the reason most of the townspeople continue to take part in the lottery, although most of them are not eager to participate in it.

The story uses imagery such as descriptive language to give the reader the right image of the objects and environment in the story. Descriptive language is an essential literary technique in literature as it bridges the gap between literature and images. In the story, as the author talks about the black box, she makes a point of making the reader get a good visualization of the state of the item. Jackson says, "The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained," (pg.2). Through the phrase, the reader can form an image of a badly damaged box because of the description given by the author. There is also another instance of descriptive language that has been used to enhance the overall appeal of the story. While describing Billy, one of the Hutchinsons, the author says, "Bill, Jr.," Mr. Summers said, and Billy, his face red and his feet overlarge, near knocked the box" (pg.7). The description paints the picture of a child that is nervous and has an awkward appearance. It also opens up the child's appearance to various interpretations. By using a literary description rather than a picture, the author has allowed the reader to be part of the story. Every reader will form an image that will fit their version of the story, based on their understanding and experiences. Readers can also see that there was another form of imagery that was used in the story. Foreshadowing is a literary technique used to warn or inform the reader of a significant event or activity, especially in stories such as The Lottery that has a plot twist. In the story, the author gives these clues through phrases such as, "Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones" (pg.1). At that point in the story, the reader should get the clue that there is something big that is about to happen, and it is going to involve the stones. Another clue is given when the author says Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix, "eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys," (pg.1). That shows the reader that the stones are essential enough for the other boys to try and steal them. These forms of imagery come together to bridge the gap between literature and images and to enable the reader to be part of the story making.

Finally, items such as the black box, the lottery, and the stones have been used as symbols to represent a concept in the real world. Authors usually try to communicate a specific hidden message through the use of symbols that will enable the reader to learn something from the story. These symbols may sometimes represent something in the real world. For example, in the story, the reader comes across the black box, which, as per the story, is a symbol of tradition. However, a more in-depth analysis of the black box and the events surrounding it will reveal some hidden messages and truth. For one, the black box is in poor condition, which represents the state of the tradition itself. The box is falling apart, and very few people are willing to fix it or to replace it or together. That symbolizes the tradition which, is falling apart, and few people are willing to discuss fixing it or even replacing it altogether. The reluctance to repair or replace the black box also has another symbolism. It symbolizes the people's reluctance to continue with the tradition. The author also says that the black box in some places is "faded or stained" (pg.2). That is a symbol of the tradition which seems to have undergone some "fading" as some practices have been abandoned. The authors say," discarded, Mr. Summers had been successful in having slips of paper substituted for the chips of wood that had been used for generations" (pg. 2). That shows that not everything is being done the same way as before.

These literary elements are part of the effort by the author to communicate as much information as possible through as little space and words as she can. The author is limited to the length of the story. Literary elements such as imagery and symbolism enable the story to carry more weight or a more substantial message than the one displayed. The imagery, such as the description of the box and the people, makes the reader part of the story and gives the story visual representation. The symbols, such as the black box, are itself an object of oppression. As for the theme, it sets the mood for the story as the reader gets an idea of what to concentrate on. The theme of the power of tradition also shows how tradition can be a tool for oppression.

Works Cited

Jackson, Shirley. "The lottery." The New Yorker 26 (1948): 1-8.