Symbolism and Sacrifice in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"
This paper examines the rich symbolic framework and thematic treatment of sacrifice in Shirley Jackson's 1948 short story "The Lottery." Drawing on scholarly interpretations, the analysis explores how Jackson uses character names, the lottery procedure, and narrative structure to critique blind tradition and illuminate the duality of human nature. The paper considers multiple religious dimensions of sacrifice—including allusions to the Day of Atonement, Christian crucifixion, and Islamic ritual—alongside secular notions of purity and sacrifice. Ultimately, it argues that Jackson's symbols collectively expose the dangers of unexamined communal tradition and present a darkly layered commentary on ritual violence.
- Introduction: Horror Beneath the Ordinary: Context, stakes, and thesis on symbolism and sacrifice
- The Lottery as Symbol of Randomness and Ritual: Title symbolizes chance, Day of Atonement lottery parallel
- Character Names and the Duality of Human Nature: Summers, Graves, Delacroix reveal duality and death
- Religious Dimensions: Christianity and Islam: Christian crucifixion and Islamic ritual sacrifice symbols
- Sacrifice, Purity, and Gender: Gender and purity norms reflected in who is sacrificed
- Tradition, the Black Box, and the Hope for Change: Worn box symbolizes obsolete tradition; Dunbar offers hope
- Conclusion: Multiple Perceptions of Sacrifice: Symbols synthesized; Jackson's critique of ritual violence
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper synthesizes multiple scholarly perspectives—Nebeker, Cervo, Al-Joulan, and Bogert—to build a multi-layered symbolic reading rather than relying on a single interpretive lens.
- Each major symbol (the title, character names, the black box, participant details) is introduced and then connected back to the central theme of sacrifice, giving the argument clear internal cohesion.
- The paper balances textual evidence from the primary source with secondary scholarship, modeling how close reading and critical research can work together effectively.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the technique of thematic synthesis across multiple critical sources. Rather than summarizing one scholar at a time, the writer weaves together several interpretations—Christian martyrdom, Islamic ritual, Day of Atonement—to show how a single text can sustain diverse symbolic readings. This approach is particularly effective in literary analysis at the undergraduate level.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with context and a thesis centered on symbolism and sacrifice. It then moves through layers of symbolic analysis: the title, the Day of Atonement parallel, character names (Summers, Graves, Delacroix, Dunbar), religious symbolism (Christian and Islamic), gendered notions of sacrifice, and the worn black box as a symbol of obsolete tradition. The conclusion synthesizes all threads and restates Jackson's critical stance on ritual violence.
Introduction: Horror Beneath the Ordinary
Since its publication in 1948, "The Lottery" has maintained a continued presence in literature, utilized in numerous classrooms (Bogert 45). However, this unexpected horror story has been met with some criticism, including groups pushing to censor it from high school literature curricula due to its violent nature (Bogert 45). Though the tale is not a pleasant one, it provides immense educational utility in a short work, incorporating symbolism and deeper meanings throughout the story alongside the theme of sacrifice. In order to understand the importance of "The Lottery," it is imperative to understand its use of symbolism and its notions of sacrifice.
The story presents what appears to be fairly mundane. The members of a town gather for an annual lottery drawing on a pleasant summer day (Jackson). It is only in the last couple of paragraphs of Jackson's tale that the reader discovers the "winner" of the lottery is the town's sacrifice, subjected to stoning by the other members of the town—including one's own family members (Jackson). The darker meaning of the story is one symbolic theme of the duality of human nature (Nebeker 101). This dichotomy is present repeatedly throughout the story, with a darker side lurking beneath every element of the plot.
The Lottery as Symbol of Randomness and Ritual
The name of the story itself evokes a pleasant response, as "the lottery" usually refers to a game of chance and luck in which the prize is desirable. Jackson does not dispel this perception until the latter part of the story, where it becomes clear that "winning" the lottery is not desirable (Jackson). The lottery is not about a mere monetary prize; rather, it symbolizes the randomness of the selection process, with chance and luck at work. Applying this symbolism to the sacrifice of the person selected, it is evident that Jackson views sacrifice as a random process.
The lottery may also refer to the Day of Atonement lottery, in which two goats were brought forward and one was sacrificed as a sin offering to Jehovah (Cervo 184). The Day of Atonement lottery utilized a gold box, and depending on which hand removed the paper bearing the statement "For Jehovah," a certain goat was thrown down a mountain, mangled, and brutally killed (Cervo 184). Jackson's lottery shares structural elements with this ancient ritual: a box of papers determines the person to be sacrificed, and the selected person suffers a brutal death. The symbolism of "The Lottery" as the Day of Atonement lottery presents another view of sacrifice—the one used as an offering for sins. However, Jackson makes no explicit discussion of the killing as an offering of this kind, possibly demonstrating that this type of sacrifice should be viewed with criticism, as the reader is left horrified by the actions of the townspeople.
Character Names and the Duality of Human Nature
The names of the characters also carry symbolic meanings. Mr. Summers, who runs the lottery (Jackson), has a name that sounds pleasant, evoking the positive feelings associated with summer. This perception is furthered by his depiction as a "jovial man" (Jackson). However, Mr. Summers also embodies the duality theme that runs throughout the story: he is the one who hands someone a death sentence, which is completely contrary to the impression painted by his name and physical description.
Mr. Graves carries a fairly literal symbol. While the reader may not be aware of it when Mr. Graves is first mentioned, the story is about a tradition of death. Graves symbolize the end of all men (Nebeker 106). They are the markers of death, and the tradition upheld in this village is the source of numerous deaths accumulated over years of sacrifice. Additionally, the attitude of Mrs. Graves—rationalizing the result by stating that they all "took the same chance" (Jackson)—demonstrates the willingness to condone ritual murder given the randomness of it. In other words, because everyone has the same chance of being sent to their grave, the village regards it as acceptable to send someone to their death.
The story names "Dickie Delacroix" as one of the boys making "a great pile of stones" (Jackson). The villagers pronounce Delacroix as "Dellacroy" (Jackson). Delacroix is French for "of the Cross," and scholars interpret the townspeople's mispronunciation as a perversion of the Christian concept of crucifixion (Cervo 183). Crucifixion symbolizes religious sacrifice, yet another view of sacrifice present in Jackson's tale. Jackson is here demonstrating an anti-Christian theme, with the concept of Christian martyrdom being corrupted. While Christ suffered and died for the good of humanity, the woman sacrificed in the story was unwilling to die and is killed solely for the sake of tradition.
Conclusion: Multiple Perceptions of Sacrifice
Shirley Jackson presents a myriad of symbols in "The Lottery." The title of the story, the procedure of the lottery, the names of the characters, and the question of who participates and who does not are all symbols open to interpretation. These symbols also illuminate different views of sacrifice.
Sacrifice is present in many forms through the symbols of this story. Traditional sacrifice, which Jackson symbolically criticizes as outdated, is represented through the tradition of the lottery and the worn-out black box. Religious sacrifice is demonstrated by the symbols alluding to Christianity and elements of Islamic culture. Sacrifice as practiced in the Day of Atonement lottery is symbolized through the procedure of the lottery itself. Notions of sacrifice—including the use of a pure person and the use of a woman—coincide with the archetype of the virgin sacrifice. Together, these symbols paint different perceptions of sacrifice, and Jackson demonstrates a darker side of society with a lottery that is far more sinister than it first appears, with a killing in the name of tradition waiting at its end.
Works Cited
Al-Joulan, Nayef. "Islam in Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery.'" Cross-Cultural Communication 6.2 (2010): 29–39.
Bogert, Edna. "Censorship and 'The Lottery.'" The English Journal 74.1 (1985): 45–47. Print.
Cervo, Nathan. "Jackson's 'The Lottery.'" The Explicator 50.3 (1992): 183–184. Print.
Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Classic Short Stories. B&L Associates, 2007. Web. 12 April 2010.
Nebeker, Helen. "'The Lottery': Symbolic Tour de Force." American Literature 46.1 (1974): 100–107. Print.
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