The story starts off on a beautiful summer day in a small town. The author describes the day as very excited but strikes a contrast between the atmosphere of the town and the atmosphere of the people gathered in the square. ... The box is symbolic of our dislike of change; it is old and splintered (337) showing that we cling to what is familiar rather than change and it also symbolizes the traditions of the community. No one in the little town questions the origin of the black box, but accepts it as part of their lives. ... An example of this is when the children are enjoying a break from sch...

• Word Count: 454
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" we see a typical small town with tree lined streets and flowers, friendly neighbors, and children playing. ... This is the norm for this town. ... The children of the town also play a role in the lottery. ... They would "gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play" (133). ... Our "winner," Tessie Hutchinson, is married to Bill and they have four children: Bill Jr., Nancy, Davey, and Eva (who lives with her husband, Don). ...

• Word Count: 1102
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Looking at society from our own experiences and pass judgments, there is a point where a line must be drawn and wasting of human life is that line. ... The young kids gathered in the town square. Laughing, playing, and having fun, the kids gathered stones and put them into a pile. ... The children and adults of this small town showed the tradition to be acceptable and honorable to their society. ... The black box holds the key between life and death to every person in the town. ...

• Word Count: 746
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a story of a small town and all the villagers, in which there are many symbols present. ... One way the three legged stool is symbolic is because the Holy Trinity is connected to god, and the villager's god played an important role in their lives. ... The three legged stool symbolizes death because it carries the black box that controls your fate, like god controlling our fate. The stones symbolize death because they are what the whole town uses to kill the villager, by stoning them....

• Word Count: 616
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

In our society, we have this idea about marriage and all of its glory, but in reality, this is not always the case. ... Jackson paints the picture of a lovely small town, with beautiful outdoors, and a charming population. ... The town's children are all playing together, the ladies have all come together to gossip and the men have begun to discuss the daily trials of small town life. For most of the story, readers learn about the lottery, how it is conducted, who conducts it and how it has remained (although other towns have given it up) a strong tradition they submissively hold. ......

• Word Count: 932
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

This story takes place in a small town that practices a traditional lottery. ... Finally Jackson showed how society influences the behavior of our children. ... The parents do not play an influential role in their lives because they do not tell the kids of the cruelty and inhumanness of the "game." ...

• Word Count: 486
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

The story begins with young children gathering in the town square. They are laughing, playing, and generally having fun doing things that children do. ... It is only after we create some distance in between ourselves and our shortcomings, that we are able to truly criticize ourselves and our actions. ... When there is a talk about lottery, the first thing that comes to our minds is a huge amount of money. ...

• Word Count: 822
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Then in small, but telling glimpses we are told that the men are smiling rather than laughing at the jokes, and the conversation among the bystanders turns to murmurs as the town official, Mr. ... Children are playing, men are talking about the rain and taxes, and the women are chatting amongst themselves. ... Names play a major role in the irony of this story. ... She demands that her daughters take their chances as well, which is a telltale sign of our base primitive instincts. Although all life ends in death, in which fate may play a major role, we choose to believe that when the time t...

• Word Count: 1008
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

This let us know that the stones will play an important role in the story later on. ... After reading that part, the question that comes to our mind is "Why are the women afraid of the pile of stones?". ... He's warning the other people saying that the other towns are considering to stop the lottery, and they should think about it too. ...

• Word Count: 797
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

The Lottery is a short story about an annual tradition, it is a random selection of one person and that chosen person is stoned to death by the people of the town. ... Tessie had shown up to the lottery late, she stated that she forgot what day it was, when she noticed the children weren't playing in the yard then she noticed it was the 27th. ... Miriam Friend was a frequent reader of the New Yorker wrote a letter to the editor, "I frankly confess to being completely baffled by Shirley Jackson's "˜The Lottery," will you please send us a brief explanation before my husband and I...

• Word Count: 827
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School