Your question hints that there are other objects in question, but only the black box is listed. I will attempt to name another symbolic object in addition to the black box.
The black box is obviously symbolic of the lottery itself and of the death that it brings. The fact that it is described as "battered" tells the reader that the lottery has been happening for a very long time in that village. The...
Your question hints that there are other objects in question, but only the black box is listed. I will attempt to name another symbolic object in addition to the black box.
The black box is obviously symbolic of the lottery itself and of the death that it brings. The fact that it is described as "battered" tells the reader that the lottery has been happening for a very long time in that village. The stoning of the lottery winner is a very old tradition.
A second symbol in the story is the stones. When the story begins, the narrator mentions that the children are busy collecting stones.
Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix-- the villagers pronounced this name "Dellacroy"--eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys.
It seems completely innocuous at the time, but by the end of the story, the reader realizes the importance of the stones. The box symbolizes death in one way. It is the "decider" of who dies. The stones symbolize death in another way. They are the actual instruments of death. And as long as people are willing to cast their stones, they are essentially showing that they are casting their votes in favor of the lottery system.
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