Sybolism

2 Pages 476 Words

Symbolism
The short stories “The Lottery” and “Everyday Use” used symbolism to express their main points. Different symbols involved in each of the stories gathered significant meanings, which enlightened the reader.
The main and most important symbol in “Everyday Use” was the quilts. The quilts revealed the mother’s equal love for her children. “Maggie and Dee’s mother promised Maggie that she would give her the quilts when she marries John Thomas” (Walker 69). Even though Dee was the brighter and prettier daughter, the mother promised Maggie the quilts after Dee rejected them. The quilts required hard and dedicated work by the mother and Big Dee. They did not make the quilts so that they could be on display, but they made the quilts for everyday use. Dee’s desire for the quilts brought out her inner-self and true feelings towards her sister Maggie. Dee said, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use” (Walker 70). Dee did not want the quilts when she went to college, but when she returned she wanted them more than anything. Dee wanted the quilts because she was jealous of her mother giving them to Maggie. The symbol of the quilts brought out Dee’s selfishness and cruelty.
One of the symbols in “The Lottery” was the stone. At the beginning, young children coming from school were collecting stones and putting them into piles. “Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pocket full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example selecting the smoothest and roundest stones” (Jackson 78). The author makes the reader think of the stones as being non-harmful by referring to the stones as smooth and round. Little does the reader know that the stones are used at the end to stone a woman to death?
The main and most important symbol in “The Lottery” was the black wooden box. “When Mr. Summers arrived with the wooden ...