Chapter Summary And Symbols In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

1) A lottery is usually a celebratory event where a prize is given to a randomly selected winner, but it is not the case in this story. The author withholds information regarding the purpose of the lottery until the very end. Some hints foreshadowing the tragic ending of the story might help us see that this is not a usual setting for a lottery. But those hints are quite subtle so it’s a little difficult to accurately predict the ending. The people of the village who gather for the event don’t seem be at ease. It’s suggested throughout the story that everyone just wants to be done with the lottery. In the second paragraph we learn that the children stuff their pockets with stones and pile them up in a corner of the square. There’s no certain clue of what’s going to be done with the stones but

Jewish people were gathered in camps and murdered because of a trait that was out of their control. Similarly the villagers persecute a person for an absurd reason, in complete randomness. I have also read somewhere that the US army, during Vietnam War, would draft soldiers by having a lottery during live TV or radio broadcasts. People would be selected randomly in accordance with their birth dates. There was no escape from it as it was again something that was out of people’s controls.

Another concept that plays an important role in the story is family. The families stand together during the lottery, as only one member of each family draws a paper to learn about their fate. If a family is selected then we see the limits of the bonds that tied them together, their relationships becoming insignificant as this time individuals of that family have to draw for themselves. Instead of thinking about one another, each member draws a paper hoping they don’t get the black dot. After the person is selected, the family members can easily turn against him or