Symbolic Analysis of “The Lottery” In Shirley Jackson's short story “The Lottery,” the author uses a morbid lottery system to symbolize issues related to traditions in contemporary society. Through the use of symbolism embedded in the story in the form of a worn black box and the horrible lottery itself, the author illuminates the common problem of people who thoughtlessly follow distorted and ill-conceived rituals rooted in tradition, and warns them against do it. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The black box in the story can symbolize age-old traditions and customs that people of all cultures have. Like all cultural traditions, the box is very old and nostalgic. Jackson even goes so far as to describe him as “scrubbier every year” (Jackson 1). This parallels the lottery tradition as a whole, as well as most modern cultural traditions and activities. Originally, the box was presumably very clean, with sharp edges and shiny paint. But like the box, traditions begin to fade and distort year after year and are passed down. Let's take Christmas for example. Christmas is deeply rooted in Christian beliefs and originated as a day to celebrate Christ's birthday. Nowadays, the new black box that was Christmas is a worn, dull remnant of a box. Many now see Christmas as a time of year to eat lots of food, get free gifts and storm the nearest shops for the best deals. This is exactly what the author tries to show the reader; that most of today's traditions are mere husks of the original version, and to be cautious about blindly following them because they are "customary." Likewise, the citizens are reassured by the fact that the box was created with parts of the original black box, making them despise the process because it is faithful to tradition. This easily parallels jack-o-lanterns in contemporary society. They were originally used to ward off evil spirits and provide light on dark nights. Today, jack-o-lanterns serve no functional purpose other than to sell more Hallmark cards. People justify spending money every year on these earthy pumpkins because they believe they “stem from their heritage” and should be preserved at all costs. This is precisely what the author tries to warn us about; blindly trampling on tradition in the hope of maintaining it. The lottery itself also appears to be very symbolic of a procedure in everyday life that civilians come to accept. We see Mr. Warner, the boss; ridicule a northern village as a “bunch of crazy fools” for wanting to abolish the ancient tradition of the lottery. (4) These people are criticized for having a very progressive point of view, rebelling against unjust and irrelevant tradition. Today, this is quite reminiscent of the issue of gay marriage. Many people feel rooted in traditional marriage between one man and one woman and nothing else. When people who challenge this conventional view come along, they are often mocked and belittled. We also see it in the story. When it turns out that Mrs. Hutchinson has the point on her lottery, she immediately protests, "It's not fair" (8). The citizens quickly reject this request and proceed to stone her to death. Morally, these people must realize that it is wrong to kill a random person every year, but they don't want to break the tradition. This is very similar to religious sacrifices throughout history. In religion, yes, 2(1), 1-7.