... are often depicted as the same thing and are interchangeable. Death we find contained in a shabby black box and sin just happens to come along as a black dot on a square of plain paper. This lottery Shirley Jackson writes about has a totally different outcome then most conventional lottery .The lottery is played to actually pick out ... names of the town folks is the perfect symbol of death; not only is everyone's name in it but no one knows when their name with the black dot will come up. We find out quickly in the story that this lottery has been around for a long time: "There was a sto...

• Word Count: 826
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... means someone will lose their life. Each head of household, usually a male, is require to draw a paper from a black box. The family representative who draws out the slip with a black dot will then redraw. This time, the black box contains enough white slips representing each member of the family minus one, which will be replacing with a slip containing a black ... dot. Whatever family member draws the paper with the black dot is the final winner but their winning will result in being stoned to death. Jackson's central idea is that the societies blindly follow traditions, cultural practi...

• Word Count: 670
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... is closely associated with death. The black box foreshadows that something bad is going to happen. Inside that black box were slips of paper and one had a black dot on it. The black dot was also a symbol of death and again which foreshadows the bad that would follow later in the story. The names of the characters in the story are also ... ...

• Word Count: 1086
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... simple evidence of innocent people dying. The innocent person that died this time was Mrs. Hutchinson. She is the one that drew the slip of paper that had the black dot on it which meant she was the one to be sacrificed. Jackson again uses her name appropriately. "Hutch" is a term for a chest or compartment for storage; basically, a box. Of course ... she drew that black dot out of the black "box." Her fate was upon her from the beginning according to Jackson. She shows up late to the meeting joking with the women and Mr. Summers ... ...

• Word Count: 804
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... is closely associated with death. The black box foreshadows that something bad is going to happen. Inside that black box were slips of paper and one had a black dot on it. The black dot was also a symbol of death and again which foreshadows the bad that would follow later in the story. The names of the characters in the story are also ... ...

• Word Count: 1058
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... . Hutchinson is late to the lottery, and she then says" "Clean forgot what day it was." Then unexpectedly her family gets the paper with the black dot, and Mrs. Hutchinson get the second paper with the dot; which means she will be stoned to death. Makes the reader think, "if only she had stayed home." Her forgetting what day it was shows ... ...

• Word Count: 648
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... . The head of each household is called up to draw a random slip of paper out of an old black box. Once each head has been called and someone draws a black dot on their paper, their entire family redraws. Tess of the Hutchinson family wins the final draw and protests about how unfair the lottery is as she faces her certain death ... ...

• Word Count: 1719
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... box, the three legged stool, and the stones all symbolize death in one way or another. The black box obviously symbolizes death because it contains the slip with the black dot that basically summons you to death. The three legged stool symbolizes death because it carries the black box that controls your fate, like god controlling our fate. The stones symbolize ... ...

• Word Count: 616
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... strange and bizarre custom. Every year, the whole village gathers together to draw lots and to determine the winner of the lottery. The person that ends up with the black dot at the end wins the lottery and his/her reward is death by stoning. One thing that is quite striking about Jackson's writing style is her use of symbolism to ... ...

• Word Count: 481
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... situation the lottery is something that results in some ones death. Which gives the story its suspense and makes the title ironic. and is gives a mixed message - Black box and dot- the color black symbolizes darkness and evil. The box symbolizes the history and tradition of the lottery. leaving a lot behind -Stones- the gruesome reward of the lottery, where the kids ... ...

• Word Count: 424
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... , they become obvious at the end. Another equally important, effective and powerful tool that Jackson utilizes is symbolism. Throughout "The Lottery" a number of symbols can be clearly identified. The back dot on the piece of paper along with the black box represents or foreshadows death. Similarly, "the chips of wood, that had been used for generations" has been altered; instead, the ... ...

• Word Count: 607
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... , they become obvious at the end. Another equally important, effective and powerful tool that Jackson utilizes is symbolism. Throughout "The Lottery" a number of symbols can be clearly identified. The back dot on the piece of paper along with the black box represents or foreshadows death. Similarly, "the chips of wood, that had been used for generations" has been altered; instead, the ... ...

• Word Count: 564
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... on it is then required to draw again, this time out of only his family. The winner, or should I say loser, who has the piece of paper with the black dot on it is then taken to the center of the square where they are then stoned. I really enjoyed reading this story. The way she made you comfortable in the beginning ... ...

• Word Count: 351
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... occurs mid-way between the summer solstice and . After the papers are drawn, people look at them and try to determine who chose the piece of paper with the black dot- black again symbolizing death. The people immediately think it will be the Dunbars or the Watsons, who happen to be the weakest or least useful. Mr. Dunbar has a broken leg ... ...

• Word Count: 963
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... sacrifice was Mrs. Hutchinson. Here, the author Jackson again uses her name appropriately. "Hutch" is a term for a chest or compartment for storage; basically, a box. Of course she drew that black dot out of the black "box." Her name symbolized her death. Her fate was upon her from the beginning according to Jackson. She shows up late to the meeting joking with ... ...

• Word Count: 1301
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... by one. After one family draws the black dotted paper, another drawing takes place. All members in the family are given a slip of paper, again with only one containing a black dot. Whoever draws this final paper, is to be stoned by the entire community. There are many rules as to what family member can draw in place of another. Peer pressure ... ...

• Word Count: 940
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School