You can find the meaning of any name (even Martin) has something special about it.

Grab the Code What Does Delacroix Symbolize in The Lottery? Just like the lottery itself, the box stays there for the sake of tradition. They are almost proud to follow their ancestors’ rules. However, it reminds the villagers of all how long they have been doing it. There was a story that the present box had been made with some pieces of the box that had preceded it, the one that had been constructed when the first people settled down to make a village here. Their loyalty is almost illogical since the box is so old it nearly falls apart. If you’re wondering what the black box symbolizes in The Lottery, you identified this symbol straight away! The villagers use the box for keeping the pieces of paper they draw.Įven though the original container was lost, people don’t want to “upset tradition” and get the new black box. The pile of stones the boys had made earlier was ready there were stones o The Lottery What Does the Black Box Symbolize in The Lottery? “They still remember to use stones,” even though they don’t remember the ritual’s purpose.Īlthough the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.

It all represents how savage people can be when they blindly follow the customs. Young Davy Hutchinson is also offered some pebbles. Boys gather the pile of stones before the event, and they throw them after it. The LotteryĮven little kids are involved. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed. The horrifying part of the story is that the murderous tradition continues even in a seemingly modern, “normal” society.Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes. This village has been established as a farming community, so it seems likely that this was the origin of the lottery. The idea behind most primitive human sacrifices was that something (or someone) must die in order for the crops to grow that year. The use of stones also connects the ritual to Biblical punishments of “stoning” people for various sins, which then brings up the idea of the lottery’s victim as a sacrifice.

There is no real religious or practical justification for the lottery anymore-it’s just a primitive murder for the sake of tradition. The line about the stones makes an important point-most of the external trappings of the lottery have been lost or forgotten, but the terrible act at its heart remains. Dunbar already sent her son away, perhaps to spare him having to participate in murder this year, and now she herself seems to try and avoid taking part in the lottery as well.

The lottery short summary