Themes and Symbols
Themes and Symbols: It is quite difficult to distinguish some of the themes from the symbols in this story.
Themes Symbols
Hypocrisy The Box
Religion: Past and Present The Stool Names of the characters
1. Hypocrisy The act of pretending to have beliefs, virtues and feelings that one does not truly possess. The word derives from the late Latin hypocrisis and Greek hupokrisis both meaning play-acting or pretence.
A. The Adams and their hypocrisy “’They do say,’ Mr. Adams said to Old Man Warner, who stood next to him, ‘that over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery.’”
“’Some places have already quite lotteries,’ Mrs. Adams said.”
“Steve Adams was in the front of the crowd of villagers,”
While the Adams’ do come across as progressive, in suggesting overtly that the lottery should be stopped, hypocrisy (found in all of us) rears at the end when he is seen at the front of the crowd
B. Tessie and her Hypocrisy “Mrs. Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square, her sweater thrown over her shoulders, and slid into place in the back of the crowd. ‘Clean forgot what day it was,’ she said to Mrs. Delacroix, who stood next to her, and they both laughed softly.”
“Mrs. Hutchinson said grinning, ‘Wouldn’t have me leave m’dishes in the sink, now, would you, Joe?,’ and soft laughter ran through the crowd”
Tessie is willing to take part in the stoning, but when it is her family as the victims, she begins protesting the fairness of the process and throwing her married daughter into the mix to try and increase her changes of survival.
2. Religion: Past and Present: The theme and its relevant symbols
A. Paganism The date and the season - Originally written on June 21, the day of the summer solstice changed by the New Yorker to coincide with publication date of the magazine.
“The morning of June 27th was
Themes Symbols
Hypocrisy The Box
Religion: Past and Present The Stool Names of the characters
1. Hypocrisy The act of pretending to have beliefs, virtues and feelings that one does not truly possess. The word derives from the late Latin hypocrisis and Greek hupokrisis both meaning play-acting or pretence.
A. The Adams and their hypocrisy “’They do say,’ Mr. Adams said to Old Man Warner, who stood next to him, ‘that over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery.’”
“’Some places have already quite lotteries,’ Mrs. Adams said.”
“Steve Adams was in the front of the crowd of villagers,”
While the Adams’ do come across as progressive, in suggesting overtly that the lottery should be stopped, hypocrisy (found in all of us) rears at the end when he is seen at the front of the crowd
B. Tessie and her Hypocrisy “Mrs. Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square, her sweater thrown over her shoulders, and slid into place in the back of the crowd. ‘Clean forgot what day it was,’ she said to Mrs. Delacroix, who stood next to her, and they both laughed softly.”
“Mrs. Hutchinson said grinning, ‘Wouldn’t have me leave m’dishes in the sink, now, would you, Joe?,’ and soft laughter ran through the crowd”
Tessie is willing to take part in the stoning, but when it is her family as the victims, she begins protesting the fairness of the process and throwing her married daughter into the mix to try and increase her changes of survival.
2. Religion: Past and Present: The theme and its relevant symbols
A. Paganism The date and the season - Originally written on June 21, the day of the summer solstice changed by the New Yorker to coincide with publication date of the magazine.
“The morning of June 27th was