Symbolism in The Lottery - Book Report/Review Example

One loses life for the safety of others. Secondly black has been used majorly in the story. Black is associated with sorrow, tears, disappointment, and other negative issues. The author has used black color in the story to symbolize death. From the story, the black box is set on a three-legged stool (Jackson 7). Death itself is the black box resting on a stool. Literally a stool has four legs, but the author presents a three-legged stool, which shows one of the legs is missing. The black box set on a stool that is missing one leg indicates the purpose of death, to destroy one of the members of the community.

The author indicates that Mr. Summer ran the coal business. Coal is a black mineral that is related to the black box that Mr. Summer carried. The author describes the killing of community members as a coal business. The coal industry has been used symbolically to indicate the death practice of people. In this box, the author suggests that it was old (Jackson 8). This symbolizes tradition, and the duration this practice has taken. The box has been carrying slips of black papers. Mr. Summer who hasn’t b been in charge of the ritual practice is related to the coal business of death.

At the end of every ritual, one member would be stoned leaving the society as the stool without one leg. The author has used the black color to indicate death. Member of the community that picked a black dotted slip of paper was entitled to death. The author describes Tessie, who picked the dotted paper that led her to death. She was stoned by everybody present regardless of her complains or cries. The black spot on the paper symbolized death. Once a person picked it, he or she was entitled to death.

The author suggests the craftiness of the traditions to trap human beings causing pain and misery. The author indicates Tessie, as an example suffering as a scapegoat to save the rest. She complains saying it was not fair, but that did not protect her from the stoning crowd. This, therefore, shows that the author has used black color to symbolize death and tradition. The author has used names symbolically in the Lottery in describing the characters.