Shirley Jackson's The Lottery begins with a picture of a lovely summer day, "with the flowers blossoming profusely and the grass richly green" (pg. 1268). Yet under the surface, something evil lurks. Using foreshadowing and character dialogue, Jackson alludes to the darkness to come, showing the rationalization of a town gone mad.
             As one begins to read The Lottery, a feeling of calm is magnified by the images of townspeople gathering in the square on a beautiful summer day. However, right away discomfort is produced by the ways in which the villagers go about their business. For example, "the men stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed" (pg. 1269). The mention of the pile of stones makes one wonder what they could be used for. It seems menacing when combined with the quiet nature of the men with their slow smiles and absent laughter.
             Furthermore, when Mr. Summers is introduced, more unease accompanies him. The crowd murmurs at his arrival and when he asks for help with the lottery box, "there was a hesitation" before men offered their assistance (pg. 1269). The reader gets the definite sense that an aura surrounds this box, projecting bad things to come. The tradition is heavily invested in the people, as the box is now shabby and dilapidated, "but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box" (pg. 1269).
             In the same sense, character dialogue and actions are used to foreshadow unpleasant events to come. When speaking of the actual drawing for the Watson family where a male head of household is not around, the oldest boy volunteers and "blinks his eyes nervously and ducked his head as several voices in the crowd said things like 'Good fellow, Jack,' and 'Glad to see your mother's got a man to do it'" (pg. 1271). From
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