symbol use within two short stories
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Symbol Use Within Two Short Stories The authors, Shirley Jackson
and Nathaniel Hawthorne, both frequently use symbols within their stories
"The Lottery" and "Young Goodman Brown." Symbols are utilized as an
enhancement tool to stress the theme of each story. Hawthorne uses
names and objects to enhance the theme, and Jackson mainly utilizes
names to stress the theme, although she does have one object as a
symbol of great importance to the theme. The stories both contain
symbols describing evil. The majority of Hawthorne's symbols describe
religion (both good and evil), but Jackson's symbols reflect the evil nature
within society as a whole. There exists symbolic acts in each story. The
short stories both share the use of symbols, but the symbols are used to
express different thoughts in ones mind while reading them. The
stories "Young Goodman Brown" and "The Lottery" both use names as
symbols. Hawthorne uses the names Young Goodman Brown and Faith
to portray nice, descent people. The name Faith alone implies a faithful
and Christian individual as stated "And Faith, as the wife was aptly
named," (211). Jackson uses the name Mr. Graves throughout her story,
he is the coordinator of the lottery. She needs not give any explanation to
the name, as it speaks for itself (a symbol of death). Various other
names are used as symbols within each story, however, these mentioned
are the most significant names to the theme. The stories each contain
names, objects, and acts as important symbols. Hawthorne uses the
names to stress good people, but relies heavily on objects to portray
Satanism. The object of obvious Satanism is the staff (a cane)
mentioned throughout the story. It is clearly identified when the old
traveler throws it down in the sentence "it assumed life, being one of the
rods which its owner had formerly lent to the Egyptian Magi" (215).
According to the Bible. sorcerers with magic powers change their rods
into serpents. Jackson uses the black box throughout her story as a
symbol of tradition not to be changed as stated "Every year, after the
lottery, Mr. Summers began talking about a new box, but every year the
subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done" (249). The
fact it is an old black wore out box puts evil thoughts in ones mind while
reading the story. The symbolic objects in each story differ, Hawthorne's
are to show Satanism, rather than the evil in people as Jackson's shows.
The stories each contain symbolic acts. The devil's comments during
his sermon such as "Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your
only happiness" (220) is a clear symbolic act of Satanism, although
Satanism is never mentioned by the author. Jackson uses symbolic acts
to stress the evil in mankind. An example is Mrs. Delacroix, a friend of
Tessie's, chooses a large rock to throw "Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone
so large she had to pick it up with both hands" (254). Additionally evil in
people is clearly proven in the statement "The children had stones
already, and someone gave little Davey Hutchinson a few pebbles" (254).
One finds it not only hard to believe the children would participate, but
her son participating in his own mother's death too, makes this an
incredible symbolic act of evil. Symbolic acts play a major role to the
theme of each story although they are used to express different
meanings. The two short stories, "Young Goodman Brown and "The
Lottery", are very similar regarding the importance of symbols to each.
The meaning of the symbols, whether names, objects, or acts, are
different. Symbols are important in each story to define the theme. Close
observation of the symbols within each story proves to one their
importance. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown"
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J.
Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: Harper Collins,
1995. 211-220Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery" Literature: An
Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana
Gioia 6th ed. New York: Harper Collins, 1995. 248-254
