The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a famous short story that depicts a sinister lottery ritual in a small village. The story revolves around an annual lottery where each year, someone in the village is randomly chosen to be stoned to death by the rest of the villagers as a sacrifice to ensure a good harvest. The lottery uses a black box that contains paper slips, one of which has a black mark on it to determine the ‘winner’ who will be stoned.
The key quote about the black box is: “Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box.” This quote appears early in the story and establishes the significance of the black box as a longstanding tradition and ritualistic object for the morbid lottery practice in this village.
What is the meaning and significance of the quote about the black box?
The quote highlights that the black box holding the paper slips for the lottery is an age-old tradition, having been used for many years in the annual lottery ritual. The villagers are wary of upsetting tradition by changing the box, preferring to maintain continuity with the past. This immediately signals that the lottery is an orthodox practice rooted in superstition, resistant to change.
The quote establishes the mystery around the black box, which takes on a sinister, ritualistic aura. Its color symbolizes darkness and evil. The fact that no one dares to tamper with it shows their acquiescence to and fear of disrupting the cruel tradition. The box and its contents, the paper slips, are central to the horrifying selection process at the heart of the lottery practice.
Symbolism of the Black Box
The black box symbolizes tradition, ritual, mystery and the unknown. Its origins are unexplained, emphasizing that the villagers blindly follow age-old traditions without questioning their barbaric practices. The box establishes conformity, where everyone obediently follows social norms and behavior expected by the community. It represents the unfathomable cruelty and sinister workings of the herd mentality of the village taken to the extreme.
Foreshadowing
This quote foreshadows the color black’s association with death as someone will be selected from the black box to die. It hints at the tension, irony and cryptic nature of the lottery as a barbaric practice masked as an annual event. The description of the black box is ominous and foreboding, preparing the reader for the darkness and horror to come.
Where does the quote appear in the story?
The key quote about the black box appears early in the second paragraph of The Lottery. It is one of the first descriptive details provided about the lottery ritual after the opening paragraph which only vaguely mentions the “perennial rite” that occurs in the village each year.
Placing this quote early on establishes the importance of the black box and introduces it as a focal point around which the lottery centers. The quote also appears before the actual proceedings and outcome of the lottery are revealed, so it serves as an important foreshadowing device.
Key Details of Where the Quote Appears
- Appears early in the 2nd paragraph of the story
- Follows the initial introduction of the lottery in the 1st paragraph
- Precedes the actual description of the lottery proceedings and selection
- One of the first descriptive details provided about the ritual
The context and placement of the quote about the box allow it to emphasize the box’s ritualistic role and hint at its darker connotations before the shocking climax is revealed. It sets up the box as a core element around which the subsequent horrific events unfold.
Why the quote about the black box is important to the story?
The quote about the black box is very important to the overall story for several key reasons:
Establishes central focus of the lottery
It introduces the mysterious black box as a longstanding, integral part of the lottery ritual around which the action centres.
Provides foreshadowing
The description of the box hints early on at the darkness, gloom, tradition and potential for peril surrounding the lottery practice.
Reveals villagers’ resignation to tradition
Their unwillingness to alter the box demonstrates the community’s rigid adherence to even the most sinister traditions.
Begins building suspense and tension
The ominous quote sets up mystery and questions in the reader’s mind about the box, contributing to a tense, unsettling atmosphere.
Symbolizes conformity and unquestioning herd mentality
The villagers’ treatment of the box as sacrosanct despite its role in the murderous ritual highlights their thoughtless conformism and mob mentality.
Overall, the quote masterfully introduces the box as a dominant motif and cryptically foreshadows the unfolding of uncivilized mob behavior leading to cold-blooded murder – making it a pivotal early component of the story.
Analysis of Key Parts of the Quote
The quote about the black box has several striking descriptive phrases that warrant closer analysis:
“Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box”
This introduces Mr. Summers as an authority figure who repeatedly raises the prospect of replacing the old black box. It implies others are resistant to the idea.
“but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box”
This clearly conveys the mass rejection of any change to something as steeped in tradition as the black box, preferring continuity.
“The black box”
Calling it “the black box” emphasizes its singularity as the definitive box used for the lottery year after year. The color black evokes darkness, grimness and death.
“as much tradition as was represented by”
Describing the box as embodying or representing “tradition” amplifies its ritualistic significance and role in the annual rite.
Each phrase contributes vivid imagery that subtly hints at the horror to come using this seemingly innocuous object – the black box.
How the Lottery’s Outcome Relates to the Black Box
The black box is integral to the deadly outcome of the lottery in several important ways:
- Contains the paper slips that determine the “winner” who will be stoned to death
- The slip with the black mark on it condemns the holder to die
- The black color associates the box with gloom, death and doom
- Box and papers are method to randomly select the human sacrifice
- Villagers do not question the box’s role in the murderous proceedings
The quote foreshadows the box’s central role in the sacrificial selection process. When the black mark is drawn, signaling Tessie Hutchinson as the “winner”, the box seals her grim fate, showing how the villagers’ blind adherence to the black box tradition results in Tessie’s death. The lottery and the stoning could not occur without the all-important black box.
How the Context Develops Around the Quote
The quote lays the groundwork for how the context evolves surrounding the black box as the story progresses:
Before the Quote
- Opening paragraph vaguely references an annual “perennial rite” occurring in the village
- Paragraph 1 builds slight mystery and curiosity about the lottery
Quote Appears
- Box introduced as central part of longstanding lottery tradition
- Foreshadows box’s true sinister purpose
After the Quote
- Lottery preparations and villagers gathering described
- Elaborate ritual with solemn traditions surrounding the box established
- Dramatic revealing of lottery’s true purpose – human sacrifice
The context before the quote sets up an intriging initial picture. The quote itself ominously hints at the darkness to come. After, the box’s pivotal role in the sacrifice ritual is fully fleshed out.
How the Quote Develops Our Understanding
The quote masterfully develops the reader’s understanding in several key ways:
- Introduces the important motif of the black box
- Establishes the box as central to the lottery and steeped in tradition
- Hints at the darker, sinister purpose of this mysterious box
- Implies the villagers’ resistance to change and blind conformity
- Creates a sense of mystery and foreboding about the box
- Begins to reveal the cold brutality lurking beneath the idyllic village exterior
The quote deftly provides several revealing clues about the box before the shocking climax, guiding the reader’s understanding in a more ominous direction.
Other Key Quotes About the Black Box
Some other notable quotes about the black box from The Lottery:
“The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained.”
This quote emphasizes the aging, dilapidated state of the box, highlighting its long use in the lottery over generations.
“Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box.”
Also the key quote analyzed above, it establishes the box as an untouchable tradition.
“The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born.”
This quote indicates the ancient, archaic origins of the box, underscoring its established role in the lottery ritual for an extremely long time.
“Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.”
A quote from the end of the story showing that while some lottery traditions like the box may be lost or altered, the violent, murderous practice remains intact.
Key Symbols Associated With the Black Box
The black box represents a few key symbols:
- Tradition – Longstanding box ritual
- Conformity – Villagers all follow box rituals
- Fate and doom – Box determines who dies
- The unknown – Mystery of origins and ritual around box
- Death and darkness – Black color links it to death
It is a powerful symbol of the darker aspects of tradition, faith in rituals, conformity, fatalism, superstition, and the unknown.
Themes Related to the Black Box
The black box relates to key themes explored in The Lottery including:
Blind Obedience to Tradition
The box represents stolid adherence to and fear of changing cruel traditions, even irrationally.
Conformity
Willingness to conform and unquestioningly follow social norms.
Senseless Violence
How tradition can sanction cold-blooded violence against innocent people.
Superstition
Carrying on customs without understanding origins due to supernatural beliefs.
Fate vs. Free Will
Box determines “winner’s” fate, though the lottery could be stopped.
Analysis of Quotes About the Black Box in Context
Here is an analysis of two other key quotes about the black box and their significance in context of the story:
Quote 1:
“The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained.”
- Emphasizes dilapidated state of aged box after many years of use
- Box likely handmade – original wood color showing
- Builds up box as longtime tradition central to lottery
- Sets ominous tone and sense of arcane ritual
Quote 2:
“Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.”
- Appears at end after the stoning
- Shows some lottery origins are forgotten over time
- Suggests some evolutions and distortions of ritual traditions
- Central murderous act remains engrained in collective memory
Both quotes develop the context around the black box as a mysterious longtime tradition central to the annual ritual and its barbaric outcome.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the quote about the black box in Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery establishes the box as a longtime tradition representing the unfathomable ritual at the story’s core. The quote ominously hints at the box’s dark purpose and the villagers’ resistance to change before the horrific twist is revealed. It introduces the box as a pivotal symbol of tradition and conformity gone shockingly awry. The analysis of the quote and related lines reveals how skillfully Jackson uses the box to hint at the gruesome underlying truth within this community while building an atmosphere of escalating dread and foreboding.