Foreshadowing In “The Lottery” Essay

Shirley capital of Mississippi depicts a special day, June 27, in the lives of the inhabitants of a small, appargonntly serene village. The use of foreshadowing is applied extensively to hint to the reader that despite the seemingly festive occasion, there is something morbid virtually the drafting that causes the state of the town to be uneasy. Jackson foreshadows the ironic conclusion with specific examples and both ominous and tense diction.The earlier indication of the peculiarity of the days lottery is the little boys had already stuffed their pockets full of st angiotensin converting enzymes (422). One knows that a lottery in modern societies definitely does not involve rocks, so the idea that the towns lottery is much different than the ones known in todays world is introduced. The fact that the men who begin to gather for the lottery stand away from the pile of stones shows that the stones are not a mirthful part of the days events (422). These examples give the reader t he idea that there is something important, yet shady just about the pile of rocks. And although the men told jokes, they smiled rather than laughed (422). If the lottery was a carefree event, the men would have had no job with laughing. The description of the actions of the group of men creates the impression that the lottery is a serious event which is not about laughing matters.During the lottery, after most of the men had chosen and drawn their scrap of paper, they sat turning them all over and over nervously (425). If the lottery was being conducted to give out some sort of reward or prize, they would have seemed eager, not nervous. Jackson also describes the way Mr. Summers and Mr. Adams grin at each another(prenominal) as nervously (425). The repetition of the word nervous reinforces that the lottery is not one of fun and games. In addition, Mrs. Dunbars anticipation for Mr. Summers to hurry shows that the lottery is not the type of occasion the people enjoy participating in and would rather get over with quickly (425).Therefore it is obvious that the lottery would not have a pleasant outcome. Instead, the lottery must have some sort of negative outcome that is serious replete to make the entire town nervous.The most significant sign of the abnormal nature of the lottery is the accession of the black box (422). In most peoples minds the color black is associated with death. When it is revealed that there are scraps of paper in the box, the reader is also exposed to what the box is used for to hold the papers which the villagers will draw. In essence, the connotation of the color black creates the impression that when the villagers draw from the box, they are drawing for a chance at death. This example foreshadows exactly what will happen when the story concludes. Next Jackson describes the lottery as being a ritual that once involved a chant (423).The connotation of these talking to also supports the idea that the lottery revolves around death. Wh en one thinks of a ritual, pictures of Ancient Aztec or Mayan sacrifices come to mind. And when one thinks of chanting, images of hooded figures preparing someone for a sacrifice surface. So through the use of ominous nouns and adjectives, Jackson is explicitly stating what is qualifying to happen as a result of the lottery a human sacrifice is going to off place.Although as the story progresses there is more and more of a feeling of doom, the reader does not get going acutely aware of what takes place after the lottery until Mrs. Hutchinson cowers in a corner with the mob attack her. If one analyzes the color of the box and its purpose, it is possible to predict the outcome of the lottery, but otherwise all other methods of foreshadowing provide the reader with a strong feeling that something disturbing is going to occur.