"The Lottery"

“The Lottery” (1948) by Shirley Jackson is a story that is filled with significance and symbolism. The setting itself is in an anonymous village square– I have to even figure out what part of the country it is set in. I feel that the reason for this is that with the horrific ending the author wants it that way. It’s as if she doesn’t want us to know where something like this could actually take place. Although some of the townspeople stated that this lottery takes place in towns larger than theirs, it never really gives us a clue as to the location of this particular village.
I feel there is much significance to Old Man Warner, being the one who has been through this lottery the most times in his life. He seems to “know the ropes” and stays fairly relaxed about the whole process, while the rest of the town gets more excited as the lottery continues. He states “Seventy-seventh year I been in the lottery, seventy-seventh time.” (Kirszner & Mandell, p. 409). This statement makes me think that he is almost bragging about being involved in this process so many times – although he has managed to come out unscathed so far. He is like the brick that holds the process together. When they have a question about the process they all look to him for answers.
Another significant part of this story is the symbolism behind the black spot on the piece of paper. Although black can symbolize many things the main one is death. The author gives hints towards the end of the story that this lottery may not be something that one would actually want to win, as shown by the townspeople’s excitement after everyone had drawn their pieces of papers. After everyone drew their slips no one stood up and shouted that they had won anything.
Once the author stated the Hutchison’s were the ones who had to go into the final draw it was as if Tessie knew her fate. She kept stating that it wasn’t fair and they should redraw. Once I read that she drew a piece of paper with a black spot I realized that it could mean nothing more than her death. I thought it awful that even her own family and close friends had to take part in deciding her final fate.