Characterism And Symbolism In The Lottery, By Shirley Jackson

The Lottery
Shirley Jackson was a short story writer and novelist; however, she was also a loner and an introvert. Shirley was born on December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, CA. Jackson and her family moved East when she was 17, were she attended Rochester University. After doing a year, she dropped out of school, stayed at home for a year and began practicing on her writing. Jackson entered Syracuse University in 1937, where she met her future husband. Stanley Edgar Hyman, who was at the time also attending Syracuse University, and was an aspiring literary critic. Both Jackson and Hyman graduated in 1940 and moved to New York’s Greenwich Village.
According to Benet 's Reader 's Encyclopedia of American Literature, “Much of her short fiction and her novels contains a strong element of the fantastic and terrifying.” Short stories like “The Lottery” are filled with a lot of symbolism, irony, characterization, and hidden messages;

For example, Mr. Summers, was described as a round-faced, jovial man, he ran the coal business, however, people were sorry for him. Mr. Summers had no children and his wife was a scold. Moreover, Mr. Summers was the man who had time and energy to devote to civic activities. Mr. Graves was described as the postmaster, plus he also aided Mr. Summers with the lottery tradition. Then there was Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town. He has lived through the tradition for decades and is set in his ways with how he views the lottery. Jackson made this character completely “for” the lottery, anyone who thought that the lottery should be stopped, was considered a young fool who knew nothing, and had no respect for tradition.
Shirley used techniques that gave life to her short story, thus having readers become compelled to read her short stories. The tasteful blend of reality produced; a sense of brooding mystery and