Symbolism in "The Lottery"

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every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done. The black box grew shabbier each year; by now it was no longer completely black but splintered baldy along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained." (Jackson, 248) The lack of maintenance or focus on maintaining the box reflects the views of some of the townspeople, that perhaps the lottery is no longer necessary.
The black box is kept in various, random locations, out of sight of most of the townspeople. "The rest of the year, the box was put away, sometimes one place, sometimes another; it had spent one year in Mr. Grave's barn and another year underfoot in the post office, and sometimes it was set on a shelf in the Martin grocery and left there." (Jackson, 48) The location of the box throughout the year is often not important, or anywhere in which the people can easily see it. This fact makes it seem as though the people of the town try not to think of the ...

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