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Foreshadowing In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

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The short story that is in review is Shirley Jackson’s, The Lottery. This book was released in June 1948. Soon after its release many people have been said to write letters to Jackson on how offended they were after reading it. This is a very controversial short story in which some of its key literary techniques are going to be evaluated. One of the most noticeable techniques use in The Lottery is the use of foreshadowing. The foreshadowing is a key element of the twist as is plays on the reader's perception of the word ‘lottery’. The reader would assume that a lottery would have a posititve outcome, so when the foreshadowing is used it is only noticeable after the second read through. A noticeable moment when foreshadowing is used is when the children put the stones in their pockets. Through the first read through this could only be seen as children having fun although through the second read through, the true, morbid intentions become apparent. What makes this story so brilliant is that the reader …show more content…

One of the main symbols would have to be the primary plot device, the black box. The colour black signifies death which is what makes it a perfect colour for such a morbid item. The box is also torn and fading which could be seen as a representation of the villagers faith and belief in the lottery. The only reason the box is still kept is because the town is blindly following tradition and don’t know why they are doing what they do. Another symbol is the black dot on the slips of paper that are drawn which also symbolises death and morbidity. Another symbol would have to be the town's setting which is described as “clear and sunny. with the fresh warmth of a full summer day” at the start of the story. The lottery is also held in the same place as many of the town's celebrations such as the square dances, the teenage club and the Halloween program which seems rather

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