Symbolism in Shirley Jacksons The Lottery - Book Report/Review Example

? Playing “The Lottery” can be Dangerous: Symbolism in Shirley Jackson’s Short Story When most people play the lottery today, they think about having wealth. Generally, people who win are happy about it whether they win one dollar or a million. The lottery in our society has grown to support education and it is often worth several million dollars. Usually, the winner of the lottery gains a lot of recognition for the money they win. But what would happen if there was a small town where people held a yearly lottery in which the “winner” was the member of the town who was not sacrificed? This question is answered in Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery.” In reading this story, and reading literary criticism about the story, there were many symbols and much symbolism in this story. 1 Biographical Analysis Shirley Jackson was the only daughter of Leslie and Geraldine Jackson. Born in 1916, Jackson grew up in Rochester New York and went to Brighton High School. Eventually, she would graduate from Syracuse University with her bachelor’s degree (GradeSaver) and marry Stanley Edgar Hyman, also a writer. Although Jackson lived a very successful life as an author, she is most known for “The Lottery.” With this title and several of her novels, she gained a reputation as a “gothic horror and psychological suspense” author (Randall and Simon 1). Jackson had four children and when she was pregnant with one of her children and walking home from buying groceries, she was thinking about a book that her husband had introduced her to about ancient rights that she could not get out of her mind. When she arrived home, she wrote “The Lottery” in two hours, showed it to her husband, and then sent it off to her publisher at The New Yorker Magazine; they published it right away (Shmoop Editorial Team). 2 Historical Cultural Analysis “The Lottery” was written in 1948 which was just after WWII. This was a time when people were still feeling some effects of the war and the Holocaust and the terrible things that happened during that time. Americans were moving back to a time where they wanted life to be simple and orderly. There was also a need to go back to traditional values and a need for conformity (Miss Cellania). While people enjoyed seeing the Cleveland Indians win the World Series, The Philadelphia Eagles win the NFL and while they were being entertained by beautiful women like Lauren Bacall, Ava Gardner and Rita Hayworth (PCM Entertainment and Trivia Network) Jackson was entertaining a different audience through her short story. It was interesting that many people were upset with Jackson about this story. One reason was because her publisher spread a rumor that Jackson was a practicing witch (Miss Cellania). Although Jackson dabbled in mysticism and read tarot cards, the idea that she was a witch was a joke. “The Lottery” was frightening during that time and it still is today. Jackson wanted to show what happened when people blindly followed a tradition just because it was a tradition. “The Lottery revealed an uncomfortable truth about the human psyche and, in doing so, became a classic piece of American Literature” (Miss Celinnia). 3 Symbols and Symbolism in “The Lottery” There were many symbols in this short story. Many researchers state that several symbols refer to Christianity. As an example, the last name of one of the women, Mrs. Delacroix, was a French name meaning “of the cross” (Cervo 183). It is ironic that Mrs. Delacroix is the person who picks up the biggest rock, one that is so heavy that she can hardly pick it up, to hurl at he friend (Jackson). The fact that the lottery happens on June 27 is said to be a symbol of the trinity if the numbers are reduced to 3 (Nebeker). Tess Hutchinson becomes the scapegoat which can also be equated to the sacrificial lamb that was sacrificed in the Bible in the old testament (Nebeker). The symbol of death is shown in several ways. The black box is brought out by Mr. Graves, a clear reference to death. The box is black and has been passed down for many generations. This is Jackson’s symbol for the fact that people during that time wanted to return to traditional values and were afraid to do anything different. The time of day was particularly interesting because Danielle Schaub interpreted this as a place of “high position of perfection” (2) that the villagers were moving from and then to which was the reason the lottery had to be finished between 11 and 12. The three legged stool symbolized the Trinity but the movement from the writing on the paper to the finish of the process represented “death and rebirth, unexpected destructiveness and fertility” (Schaub 2). Nebeker also points out that the three legged stool is a symbol of the way that man will sometimes manipulate religion so that they can commit violence. We have seen that in attacks on our country and other countries in the name of religion. The entire story uses the theme of how humans have a tendency to punish people who are innocent and shows how people can go from being good neighbors to something as horrible as stoning someone to death. Another theme in the story is the primitive nature that society has when something is traditional or the same. In an aside, this reader could see many challenges that our current society has with attempting to preserve tradition. Within the symbolism is also the symbol of the community which really acts as an allegory because it has many rules and many rituals during this time. Shmoop Editorial Team points out that if this is an allegory then it means that there are many aspects of the society during that time that were present in the village society. In this reader’s opinion, this was shown in the fact that the lottery had to be carried out in the traditional way, exactly as it had been done every year. It was done with traditional values and people did not want to step out of their comfort zone to do anything different, which is what 1948 was like after the war. A.R. Coulthard points out that Tessie Hutchinson is also a symbol of what he calls the “myth of family love” (227). When everything starts to happen and Tessie’s family is chosen, she points the finger at her married daughter and attempts to place her as the victim. In conclusion, there are a variety of symbols and themes in Shirley Jackson’s, “The Lottery.” There are many speculations of the story by many different literary critics. The story is still chilling because it does point out that human nature can do a variety of things that are not always nice, and that under pressure, they can hurt others easily. Jackson said in an interview that she did not understand why so many people were so upset with her because to her, “The Lottery” was “just a story” (Coulthard 227). In one way this is just a story but it is one that makes the reader think and take it with them. Society has difficulty with looking at the dark side of their nature because we never know when it will come out. Works Cited Cervo, Nathan. “Jackson’s the Lottery”. The Explicator, 50.3 (1992): 183. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 July 2011. Coulthard, A.R. “Jackson’s the Lottery.” The Explicator, 48.3 (1990): 226-228. ProQuest. Web. 24 July 2011. GradeSaver. “Biography of Shirley Jackson List of Works, Study Guides & Essays”. GradeSaver, 25 July 2011 Web. 25 July 2011. Read More