In "The Lottery," Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to make us aware of the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. The story starts off on a beautiful summer day in a small town. The author describes the day as very euphoric, saying "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green." (229). However, this description strikes a contrast between the atmosphere of the town and the atmosphere of the people gathered in the square. The atmosphere is subdued, where the children are "gathered together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play." (229).
             The black box is the central theme or idea in the story. It symbolizes at first some type of mystery, but as we read the ending we realize that it is synonymous with doom, which is why "The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool," (229) which was the support for the "Black box [ which ] grew shabbier each year." (230) Someone's fate lies in an inanimate object, the black box. We do not always enjoy change, even if it might prove beneficial to us, and neither did the villagers of this story. Proven by Old Man Warners statements, "Pack of crazy fools," he said. "Listening to the young folks, nothing's good enough for them. Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work any more, live that way for a while. Used to be a saying bout 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.' First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns. There's always been a lottery," (232) when told of other villages doing away with the lottery. The box is symbolic of our loathing of change; it is old and splintered showing that we cling to what is familiar rather than what is different, and it also symbolizes the traditions of the community
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