In the short story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, the most important literary concept illustrated is imagery, which is the use of visually descriptive and symbolic language. When imagery is used correctly, it allows The reader to paint a vivid picture of the literary work It also captures the reader's subconscious and attracts their attention. After reading a line, riddled with images, the reader unconsciously begins to connect to the. characters or instances in the story that they can relate to. This allows the reader to feel more comfortable with the story and become more invested. Say no to plagiarism Get a tailor-made essay on “. Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned”? Get the original essay Another. The literary concept that Jackson added to the story was the use of symbolism was scattered throughout this short story. When using symbolism, it is important not to be too vague, but just enough so that the meaning gets across to readers. head, forcing them to take a minute to think about what just happened before they can truly understand the deeper meaning of the words used. Unconsciously playing with the readers' minds only by using words and with countless other literary concepts at their fingertips. , writers can be deadly if they perfect them. “The morning of June 27 was clear and sunny, with the cool warmth of a full summer day; the flowers bloomed profusely and the grass was a rich green. (430.Jackson). The great thing about using imagery is that the individual can recreate the image described by the writer and relate it to their personal society. The importance of grabbing the reader's attention from the beginning of any literary work they read will lead them to finish what they start. Often, if the reader does not become attached quickly, they begin to no longer care about what they are reading and end up abandoning literature. Another example of Jackson using imagery is when she paints the picture of the rocks being put in Bobby Martin's pockets, she states, "Bobby Martin had already filled his pockets with rocks, and the other boys quickly followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones. stones” (431. Jackson). While this use of imagery is powerful, one of the downsides of using imagery is giving too much information allowing the reader to read the intertextuality and solving the mystery of the story too quickly . With the story being set in the time period of 1948 and residents gathering in the town square while collecting stones, this allows the reader to infer that there is a stoning about to take place. This is actually what happened, and in this case the reader solves the mystery a little too quickly. Another literary concept that Jackson uses very well is the idea of ​​symbolism, and she does this in the manner of the characters' last names. Names such as Bentham, Hutchinson, Adams and Delacroix were used on purpose and not by chance. Although we cannot be sure, we can infer that these names were used to represent people from the past. Anne Hutchinson was excommunicated for her beliefs and way of thinking, which is similar to how Tessie was punished. Tessie wasn't killed just because of her beliefs; however, she accidentally had a difference of opinion before getting her penalty. Another example is Jeremy Bentham, an English philosopher who was best known for his utilitarian views on certain social reforms during his time. This idea that decisions are considered “good” if they guarantee the mostgreat pleasure with the least pain. In this case, Tessie suffered, but if only one in three hundred people felt that pain, then the action was deemed "good." This utilitarianism is an interesting way of thinking, especially when it comes to dealing with moral dilemmas. Utilitarianism is a way of thinking that seems "acceptable", but is not necessarily suitable for all cases. Each case must be examined individually and a decision made accordingly. Traditions are indeed important and it can be enjoyable to follow and participate in them. However, when it comes to saying “we don't know why we do it, we just do it because people before us did it” is not acceptable. Adams, Steve Adams, is an interesting last name for this character. Steve Adams didn't spend much time in the story, but he was involved at key moments. As they got closer to Tessie, Jackson let out a retort that Mr. Adams was in front of the horde of people. This could possibly imply that Adam was the first man on this earth, casting the first stone and in turn being the first man to lead the pack to Tessie. “A stone hit her on the side of the head. Old Warner said, “Come on, come on, everyone. » Steve Adams stood at the front of the crowd of villagers, with Mrs. Graves at his side. (436. Jackson).Adam, being the first man on earth, Delacroix, is also a family name in history, playing on religious symbolism meaning "of the cross" in French. Jackson knew what she was doing by adding this sense of religious symbolism without it being blatantly obvious. These subtle but important aspects only develop the story in a multitude of distinct ways. When used correctly, literary concepts or techniques can have a huge impact on the story, creating a substantial impact on the reader. We see this directly in Shirley Jacksons' "The Lottery" as she uses concepts such as imagery and symbolism throughout her work. What we can take away from this is that there are certain advantages and disadvantages to using certain literary techniques. For example, when she painted the picture of the smooth round stones that Bobby Martin put in his pockets and based on the time period, we readers could deduce that there would be no money in this lottery. Keep in mind: This is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a personalized essay this lottery. Similar to music, any time a work that makes the individual think or feel something that they did not originally feel before experiencing their work, is objectively good. One can have a subjective opinion on the matter, but if it takes the individual to a place where they were not originally before experiencing it, then they have accomplished their work, thus making the work objectively better. Creativity enriches the experience of the individual who lives it, thus enhancing the work. Works Cited Jackson, S. (1948). The Lottery. The New Yorker, 27(26), 20-25. Kosenko, P. (2010). A reading of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Journal of Modern Literature, 33(3), 155-165.Leeming, D.A. (2013). “Agamemnon” by Aeschylus and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson: disrupting the universe. Literature and Theology, 27(1), 54-65. Mellard, J.M. (2011). Demonstrate the importance of ritual in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Journal of English Short Story, (56), 95-105. Oppenheimer, J. (2016). When “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson was not fiction. The New Yorker. Excerpt from. 139-148)..