Liturary Devices in "The Lottery"

The short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson uses the literary elements plot, setting, character, and symbol to express the theme. The theme of "The Lottery" is that tradition helps to unite the community but it is best to allow some traditions to die. The setting is a small village. Everyone in the village knows each other. The lottery is preformed in the town square. The people gathering together as a mob make the act …

…stone her friend to death. The community seems to feel that if the lottery were ended that they would loose apart of their society. The box is the center of the tradition. The black box is a symbol of death. The community gathers around the box. Everyone in town focuses on the box and must draw a slip of paper out of it. The people know that the box decides which among them will die.