Throughout the story "Lottery", by Shirley Jackson, there are many references to symbols. The Author usually uses symbols to reveal deeper meaning of the story or a particular event. From the story "Lottery", the author provides two important symbols - the black box and the Lottery. The black box and the Lottery play an important role in the story as they represent: the history of the village; the importance of the ritual; and the superstition of the villagers.

A long time ago many tribes or countries has a tradition of praising their God with human fresh. From the story, the villagers still follow the same tradition but the formant of it has been changed. Instead of catching human from other tribes or countries, they will have a draw within their village and the winner of it will be stoned. According to the Author, "[the black box] had been...