The Lottery

16 Pages 3968 Words

black box symbolizes an immoral act to the villagers. This is evident in the fact that ,,the villagers kept their distance"(ebd.) from the black box. The introduction of the black box into the setting changes the mood and the atmosphere of the residents. After the introduction of the black box the villagers become uneasy around it. Furthermore, the black box is the key that changes the mood from serene and peaceful to ominous, whereas the moment of illumination is put at the very end of the story and of the plot. Typically enough, JacksonŒs development of the plot is rather traditional and straight with little foreshadowing and negligible backflashing.
Through this use of only subtle details, Shirley Jackson is able to foreshadow the wicked ending on an ,emotional basis` - in parts through the setting, that lacks official authorities, the incoherent mentioning of stones and the plot striving straight at the end and climax of some kind of lottery: keeping us in suspense by itself already.
Indeed the reader starts to feel more and more unc...