Winning the lottery takes on a whole new meaning in the short story, "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson. The title itself indicates something positive when in fact the story is quite the opposite."The Lottery" clearly expresses Jackson's feelings concerning mankind's evil nature hiding behind traditions and rituals. Jackson presents the theme of this short story with a major use of symbolism. Symbolism shows throughout the setting of "The Lottery," the objects, and in the peoples actions.
             The setting of the story helps to magnify its impact on the reader because it is set in a small town similar to the one many of us may know of, and that is symbolic of everything that we consider to be right in America. The story begins on a wonderful summer day in a small town. The author describes the day as very joyful but strikes a contrast between the surroundings of the town and the mood of the people gathered in the square. The mood is sober, the adults "stood together, away from the stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather then laughed"(1269). This is an indication through symbolism of the townsfolk's sober mood. The setting for the lottery also takes place in the same place "as the square dances, the teen-age club, and the Halloween program"(1269). All of these fun filled events happen in the same exact place that the stoning occurs. Showing how easy it is for the town to clean out their conscientious, and go back to a place, that on June 27, is a place of death, and turn it into a place of celebration.
             The black box is a good representation of the central idea to the story. The box is painted in black, which has always been a universal symbol for evil and death. The box also symbolizes a type of mystery, but at the end of the story it is found that this is a box of horror, and not a box of joy. Someone's fate lies in the black box. Thi
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