In "The Lottery" Shirley Jackson sets an intense anxious environment – fresh warmth, their jokes were quiet, she held her breath – only to set the reader up for a disgraceful end of a beautiful day. The surrounding area is portrayed as quaint and beautiful. She places a mood of uneasiness in almost every character mentioned throughout the writing. The continuous mentioning of a black box brings a somber attitude to the reader, while questioning the significance of 'the box'.
             Jackson sets the story on a sunny summer afternoon with kids playing all through the town. "The flowers blossoming profusely and the grass richly green" would normally begin an exciting somewhat romantic setting. She contrasts that rather quickly with the callous attitude of those collecting stones. The reader has no idea that murderers are collecting stones in such an amiable manner. This is curtained by the confusion of the kids being on summer break and not knowing exactly what they should be doing.
             Each individual contributes to the climax, as well the facade of the townspeople. The three boys gathering stones appear to be the students who, in school, were being reprimanded. If they were those students, it would be a direct reflection of what they are being taught by their parents from this morbid event. Prior to the drawing of the piece of paper determining the family's fate, they are standing together. After the drawing, the father comes back to his loved ones only to stand apart from them for fear of failure. The women, in their faded dresses, come together using gossip to cover the feelings of remorse. The men on the other hand stand strong smiling, though ironically they are not laughing. The reader can perceive mixed emotions for the duration of the story, while oblivious to the deathly outcome.
             The black box seemingly has no impact on the story until the reader recognizes that ...