Exposition Through Symbolism in ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson and ‘Jug of Silver’ by Truman Capote Anonymous 9th Grade

Objects can affect character, setting, and plot in a story, and, when they symbolize something, can help give the reader a hint at what is going to happen next. In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, the black box symbolizes the perplexity of the tradition of the lottery, as well as the “follower” personality of the villagers, and the traditional, “cult-like” feel of the village. The jug full of coins in “Jug of Silver” by: Truman Capote, is used as a symbol of hope and excitement for villagers that live otherwise monotonous and ordinary lives. In both these stories, the author uses symbolism to give the reader necessary exposition to adequately understand the story and its meaning.

In the story “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to show the reader that the annual lottery is a grim tradition. To give the reader exposition throughout the story, Jackson uses the black box as a device to tell the reader that something abruptly violent is going to happen, which it does. Specifically, Jackson writes that, “When he [Mr. Summers] arrived in the square, carrying the black wooden box there was a murmur of conversation among the villagers,” (1). By writing this, Jackson gives the black box an air of mystery as well as sparking...