Assignment task:
Please Paraphrase
In the short stories written by William Faulkner and Shirley Jackson, symbolism is used to show readers that the protagonists of the story represent the past and tradition. In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," symbolism allows readers to interpret Miss Emily as a symbol of older times. Miss Emily's actions throughout the story have familiarized readers with her resistance to the current society. She also "wanted to keep her past alive and to keep her lover even if he had to be dead to remain hers" (Skei, "A Rose for Emily"). This allows readers to envision Miss Emily as "emblematic of a lost cause, of good old days" (Skei, "A Rose for Emily"). She relies on the past to keep her happy because she cannot move away from it. We see this throughout the story with her lover and father. Not only is she herself a symbol, but her house as well. The interior of her house is "modeled on gothic tales, but it seems to be dark, worn, unchanged, decaying... shut off from the sun and from life outside" (Skei, "A Rose for Emily"). While everything around her house changes, including the mayor, her house remains the same. A symbol of the older and what she believes to be better times. The house is the only constant that Miss Emily has. If she was open to change even in the slightest, she would upgrade her house to match what she feels. However, this does not happen, and it allows us to see how Miss Emily is not only resistant to change but also wants to live in the times that once were.
In Jackson's "The Lottery," symbolism allows the reader to interpret the black box as a symbol of tradition that the townspeople use to stay unified. The black box is mentioned several times in this story as it is used for the ritual (Jackson). The story even mentions how Mr. Summer had mentioned the replacement of the box, but the villagers were upset as they believed the black box was a tradition (Jackson). This acknowledges that many townspeople do not want to change any part of the ritual, down to the box they use. The black box is described as a "ritual salute" (Nebeker). It is a part of the ritual; therefore, a part of the town's history. The people of this town get together every year for the lottery to celebrate the town's unification. To change tradition would be to split apart the town. Although the townspeople hold great pride in the ritual, the black box included, they each "kept their distance" (Jackson). This signifies the power the box holds. Being too close to the box, especially when it is old, could cause damage to it. The villagers want to avoid this because, it is a tradition that depends on the black box that keeps them together. The black box is "the entire reconstruction of the mechanics of the lottery" (Nebeker). The black box is a determining factor in who wins the lottery. It keeps all the slips of paper while the townspeople draw from it. It also represents death as it ultimately decides who will die. It is a holy object the townspeople admire and the villagers, not wanting to replace it, warn readers of the town's determination to stick with the ritual.