symbolism

             Symbolism in the two stories of death.
             In the two stories of "The Lottery" and "A Rose for Emily" symbolism is used in the same way. These two stories are about death and the way symbolism is used in both.
             In "The Lottery" the black box is symbolic of death and faded traditions. While the setting in on a clear, sunny, day in June. It does not take long for the skies to turn dark as the reader is introduced to the black box. The box is the main symbol of the story. It describes death and necessity change due the passage of time and population expansion. The black box is a symbol of death and can be seen in many ways throughout the story. In one example, when the box is first introduced, "the villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool." The people are scared and keep their distance from the box, because of what the box stood for death. The manner in which the box is stored is another illustration of death. "The rest of the year, the box was put away, sometimes one place, sometimes another; it spent one year in Mr. Grave's barn and another year underfoot in post office and sometimes it was set on the shelf in the Martin grocery and left there" People deal with death in similar ways that towns people stored the black box. People place their experiences with death in different rooms and shelves in their hearts. The box symbolizes the need for change and how the town's people resist the change. The appearance of the box as the years went along suggests that the box needed to be replaced but so did the tradition of the lottery. "The black box grew shabbier each year; by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained." The physical appearance of the box deteriorated so the meaning of the tradition. Mr. Adams revealed in conversation with old man Warner that many of the town's people had already discussed the significance of the lottery.