Question

There was a story that the present box had been made with some pieces of the box that had preceded it, the one that had been constructed when the first people settled down to make a village here. Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking again about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done.

The above passage is an example of Shirley Jackson’s use of _____.

foreshadowing
suspense
symbolism
inference

Answer 1

Okay, from what I've gathered in the entire story, the black box appears to be a relic of the past.

By refusing to replace it, the box appears to symbolize the village's attachment to tradition despite the completely irrational basis -- other villages are said to have abandoned the tradition, yet this village clings to it like it's a lifeline -- because they fear changing the old ways.

Obviously the villagers of the story are pretty scared of change. The fact that the box is falling apart might also point to how logic is deteriorating further as they continue to profess their dedication to this ancient (?) ritual; they're not being very reasonable by refusing to adopt new ideas and/or beliefs. Their loyalty to the cause can be compared to a ship's crew that won't leave their sinking ship (even though it means they'll die). These villagers are prepared to go down (possibly to hell, figuratively) with their beliefs.

Sources: link A and link B

Answer 2

ok thank u