A Stool, Some Stones, and a Black Box

An Archetypal Analysis on Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” by Lucia Fabre

River Pebble 10-20mm

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What are we looking at?

Symbolism has been used in the past to reflect ideas or to symbolize a greater meaning behind stories. Symbols could even include characters, objects, colors, environments, and many others. If one was to look at Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” through an archetypal analytical lens, one could see how symbols personified by objects were used to reflect the idea of tradition, violence, and ultimately death. Archetypal analysis allows a reader to look at how each object can be used to embody these different ideas. When looking at the black stool that was used as a pedestal for the black box, a reader could observe the idea of supporting tradition. When looking at the stones that were used, these could be seen as reflecting the idea of violence taking over a society. Lastly, when analyzing the black box used in “The Lottery,” a reader could anticipate the idea of death being reflected.

https://sheenaarora.wordpress.com/2016/11/15/symbols-in-the-lottery-by-shirley-jackson/

The Stool

 The stool in “The lottery” could be seen as a simple inanimate object that has no meaning, but when looking at it through an archetypal lens, one can see the idea of tradition being supported. The stool was seen as an object that was special since it “had been put to use even before… the oldest main in town, was born” (Jackson) and the town was even careful to leave “a space between themselves and the stool” (Jackson). When someone sees an object of grand significance, they pay their respect in one way or another, and putting this distance between the stool and themselves, the town was recognizing its importance. The stool could represent the idea of the past, present, and future by being a three-legged stool and holding the black box on top of itself. The box “…as much tradition as was represented” was not changed and neither was the stool since “no one liked to upset” the idea of changing tradition (Jackson). This idea of humans’ hesitation to change was what brought on this tradition of hosting the lottery and the stool is a major point in this (Arora). In a way, the stool helped the lottery take place by supporting the black box, the tradition, and helped in “marking out the martyr” (Schaub). Traditions are usually unphased and go unchanged for long periods of time, and even though there are parts of traditions that are forgotten, there are always actions and symbols that are passed down without question. 

https://ludovik.ca/en/boutique/furniture/cole-wood-stool/

The Stones

Additionally, the stones that are used in the text can be analyzed in a way that they are seen as symbols of violence in “The Lottery.” The stones are first mentioned when the children are “selecting the smoothest and roundest stones” ensuring that they are fully prepared to take part in this ritual (Jackson). There is no doubt that there is “tension already present in the description of the setting and in the atmosphere” when the villagers gather in the square to commence this tradition (Schaub). Stones historically have been used to take human lives and punish human beings, always used for acts of violence. Although stones could be seen as primitive weapons, “in the hands of the children they demonstrate a human instinct for violence” (Farrar). Children are being taught at a young age about this tradition by their parents and although they might not fully understand the meaning behind it, even the children are naturally inclined to violence. Even though “the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use the stones” (Jackson). Instead of thinking that the villagers had not forgotten about using the black stones, one could argue that they did not have to even think twice about using the stones since they were objects easily obtainable and would get the job done. This violence takes over oneself causing the villagers to set out seeking to fulfill this morbid tradition and even the villagers who seemed at first on the fence about this ordeal, were now one of the first out to attack. Even Delacroix “selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands” (Jackson). The size of the stones ranged, but they all were used for the same purpose, to bring a painful and extremely violent death to the chosen one.

Seen above, how stoning is still a practice used in modern days.

The Black Box

Furthermore, the black box was the ultimate symbol, unifying these previous themes and leading “The Lottery” to its true meaning, death. When a person mentions a black box, normally the first image that comes to mind is that of a coffin. Coffins, for the most part, are literally black boxes which hold the dead. In a way, the black box in “The Lottery” did just that. The box in held the “papers inside it” that contained enough papers to represent each one of the villagers (Jackson). In other words, the box contained the fates of the villagers and the fate of one in particular that would perish. Although the papers did not have names written down, it was the random choice of the unlucky villager that also reflects the idea of death being contained in that box. Deaths for the most part occur naturally or accidentally but, in both cases, occur randomly. The process of having a lottery reflects just that, randomness. When one thinks of a lottery, they think of a group of random people raffled in order to win something great, and this idea is reflected on the box but in a much darker way.  This random evet foresees the future of one of the villagers ending in death. Even the color of the box represents death. The color black “stemming from evil characteristics or forces,” has been closely associated with the dead (Aurora). When attending a funeral, most traditions request the attendees to wear black, a symbol of mourning and grief. In a way, the villagers assembling in the town square to witness the lottery take place was a way of mourning the future loss of one of their own. Even the fact that it was a black box could be used to symbolize a coffin. Coffins are mostly shaped like boxes by being in a more rectangular shape and being made of wood. By using the color, shape, and even the meanings behind it, the black box in “The Lottery” was used to reflect the idea of death. 

A visual representation of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”

So What?

Through these symbols and through an archetypal perspective, one can see how “The Lottery” reflected the ideas of tradition, violence and death. Archetypal analysis uses universal symbolism to express different ideas. The use of the stool throughout “The Lottery” reflected the idea of tradition by becoming the “perpetrator of the evil” in this cruel ritual (Kosenko). Furthermore, the idea of violence was embodied in the stones that were used throughout the story. Although simple, stones have and will continue to be used for acts of violence. This symbolic medium was used to commit a primitive yet violent act. Consequently, these symbols lead up to the final object used to embody the moral of the story, death. The idea of the black box being used to choose the martyr in the story is what brings all these symbols together. By using an archetypal perspective, one can take into consideration what Shirley Jackson was trying to achieve through her objects mentioned in “The Lottery.”

Works Cited