Stoning on a Beautiful Summer Day

In The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, imagery plays a critical role. Imagery is used throughout the novel, beginning in the first paragraph. "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green (par. 1)." The chief effect of this imagery is to show the indifference of the villagers. To a first-time reader, the lottery seems like a fun, lighthearted social event because of their attitudes. It isn't until later in the story that there are even slight signs of fear. The cheerful imagery represents the cheerful attitudes of the people contrary to the gravity of the stoning they are about to conduct. The black box and black dots on the paper along with the distance of the people from the pile of stones represent the darkness of the lottery's true nature. Ultimately, this helps contribute to the theme of the work. The villages are disconnected with the reality of what they are doing. Instead of questioning why they are murdering people, they blindly follow the tradition of the lottery.