The Lottery

There is plenty of symbolic significance in the story, “The lottery”. The way the characters are dressed, as well as they way that they converse all add to the theme and tone of the plot. This, of course, serves to enrich the reader’s understanding of the text.

The way the character’s are dressed serves as a way for the reader to place the appropriate level of significance, as well as to the time that the story takes place. Mr. Summers is described as wearing a "clean white shirt and blue jeans" (Kirszner/Mandell pg 407) it sets him apart from the women especially, who are dressed in “faded house dresses and sweaters (Kirszner/Mandell pg 405). This makes it seem like Mr. Summers is a bit more important, that he has a significant role to play compared to the others. Describing the way the villagers dress also places them safely within the confines of the twentieth century. Blue jeans are still very popular today, however wearing house dresses is less so. This would date the story quite a few years from the present date.

The manner in which the townspeople converse is also noteworthy. At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Hutchison, the future-victim, is excited about the lottery. After almost forgetting to attend, she rushes to get there, to see the results. She is lively and jovial, until she finds that it is her family that wins the draw. After the table has turned on her, she proclaims her shock, that her family was wronged, and that the process was not fair. This is in stark contrast to her earlier attitude. When she’s the one watching, and isn’t personally affected, everything is fine and the system works. When it becomes personal, she wishes for immediate change.

The Lottery is a story that leaves one with an uneasy feeling. The author chose to place the time close to our own, which would make it more personal. The way that the character’s speak helps unearth their typical daily way of life, which is that of a rural farming town in America. The way the people are dressed puts them in a rank of sorts, the majority wearing faded clothing, and Mr. Summers wearing clean, pressed whites and jeans.