Foreshadowing In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery
Jane Smith
Mr. Houston
ENG 2350 Introduction to Literature
April 25, 2015
Keyword: Foreshadowing [Be sure to use boldfaced type for the keyword and synonyms.]
Foreshadowing in “The Lottery” (p. 133)
PART ONE: ANALYSIS Humans can make interpretations. We don’t have to take everything literally; we can see below the surface of events, and we can “read between the lines.” Symbolism is one important tool authors use for conveying meaning “below the surface.” By being able to “read” symbols, the reader can understand the main themes or messages about life that the author is suggesting. Symbols can also clue us in about future events in the plot. Although the ultimate ending of Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” is a shocking …show more content…
In hindsight, these examples of foreshadowings become clues, clues that we are meant to miss the first time, but are meant to gradually hint the true ending. For instance, we soon learn that the children’s sense of liberty “sat uneasily on most of them” (pgh. 2). Why uneasily? A few sentences later in the same paragraph, we see that Bobby Martin “had already stuffed his pockets full of stones.” The mention of stones is our first clear example of foreshadowing of the eventual stoning. Also in the same paragraph, the reader notices the children playing “in the dust.” Dust is a clear foreshadowing of the dust of the grave. The grave is also mentioned in other ways later on in the …show more content…
[How might this name be an example of foreshadowing? Since Jackson takes some time to discuss its pronunciation, we can guess that the name is symbolic, which means it is an example of foreshadowing.] Some of the other names are more direct examples of foreshadowing. Perhaps the most obvious name is . . . [Here we can examine the symbolism (foreshadowing) of the various significant names that Jackson uses. Give these as evidence in the rest of this paragraph.] The characters’ behavior around the black box can be foreshadowing of their fear of death. [In this paragraph, give evidence of foreshadowing by showing how people act around the black box—as examples of their uneasiness and repressed fear.] The black box is probably the most obvious hint or foreshadowing in the story. Notice how the box is described. It is clearly a symbol for . . . . And even the papers that fall onto the ground, where the breeze caught them and lifted them off” is a good example of foreshadowing (60). [Explore the symbolism of the black box and the papers that fly away as examples of
Mr. Houston
ENG 2350 Introduction to Literature
April 25, 2015
Keyword: Foreshadowing [Be sure to use boldfaced type for the keyword and synonyms.]
Foreshadowing in “The Lottery” (p. 133)
PART ONE: ANALYSIS Humans can make interpretations. We don’t have to take everything literally; we can see below the surface of events, and we can “read between the lines.” Symbolism is one important tool authors use for conveying meaning “below the surface.” By being able to “read” symbols, the reader can understand the main themes or messages about life that the author is suggesting. Symbols can also clue us in about future events in the plot. Although the ultimate ending of Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” is a shocking …show more content…
In hindsight, these examples of foreshadowings become clues, clues that we are meant to miss the first time, but are meant to gradually hint the true ending. For instance, we soon learn that the children’s sense of liberty “sat uneasily on most of them” (pgh. 2). Why uneasily? A few sentences later in the same paragraph, we see that Bobby Martin “had already stuffed his pockets full of stones.” The mention of stones is our first clear example of foreshadowing of the eventual stoning. Also in the same paragraph, the reader notices the children playing “in the dust.” Dust is a clear foreshadowing of the dust of the grave. The grave is also mentioned in other ways later on in the …show more content…
[How might this name be an example of foreshadowing? Since Jackson takes some time to discuss its pronunciation, we can guess that the name is symbolic, which means it is an example of foreshadowing.] Some of the other names are more direct examples of foreshadowing. Perhaps the most obvious name is . . . [Here we can examine the symbolism (foreshadowing) of the various significant names that Jackson uses. Give these as evidence in the rest of this paragraph.] The characters’ behavior around the black box can be foreshadowing of their fear of death. [In this paragraph, give evidence of foreshadowing by showing how people act around the black box—as examples of their uneasiness and repressed fear.] The black box is probably the most obvious hint or foreshadowing in the story. Notice how the box is described. It is clearly a symbol for . . . . And even the papers that fall onto the ground, where the breeze caught them and lifted them off” is a good example of foreshadowing (60). [Explore the symbolism of the black box and the papers that fly away as examples of