Analysis of Symbols in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” explores the dangers of blindly following tradition through powerful symbols of human cruelty and social conformity. Set in a seemingly ordinary village, the story exposes how customs can turn ordinary people into perpetrators of violence. The black box, Old Man Warner, and the lottery itself serve as symbols of death, stubbornness, and blind loyalty to outdated beliefs. Jackson’s work challenges readers to question inherited rituals and the moral cost of unexamined societal practices.
References
Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery . 1948, pp. 1-8.
Nugraha, Intan Siti, and Sutiono Mahdi. A Journal of Culture, English Language Teaching, Literature and Linguistics, vol. 7, no. 1, 2020, pp. 36-39. Web.
Ramadhayani, Rizka. “Symbols of Death inside of the Lottery by Shirley Jackson.” Teknokrat Repository, Indonesian Teknokrat University Library, 2018. Web.
Reference
StudyCorgi. (2025, October 7). Analysis of Symbols in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. https://studycorgi.video/analysis-of-symbols-in-the-lottery-by-shirley-jackson/