Josue Miranda

Mr. Cook
Honors ELA
11 November 2014

Shirley Jackson has multiple stories in which she uses symbolism and irony, yet
the story that she perfects these rhetorical devices is in her story, The Lottery. In
addition, Gabriel Garcia-Marquez also wrote a story that most exemplifies symbolism
and irony is, Blacaman the Good, Vendor of Miracles. The Lottery by Shirley
Jackson and Blacaman the Good, Vendor of Miracles by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez
contain symbolism and irony that show an appeal to pathos, ultimately revealing the
authors intent to entertain.
Shirley Jackson utilizes symbolism to convey a theme of power converts a
persons a way of thinking. One symbol used throughout the story is the stones. Jackson
writes, Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys
soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones (Jackson 1).
The stones continue to come in and out over the course of the story, and Jackson hints
at what they mean to the characters. For instance, They stood together, away from the
pile of stones (Jackson 1) and, they still remembered to use the stones (Jackson 7).
Towards the ending, Jackson exposes what the stones represent, Although the villagers
had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use
stones and then they were upon her (Jackson 7). Jackson displays the stones to be a
symbol of power and tradition. The one who holds the stones contains the most power
because the person on the other side is vulnerable. Tradition is in the stones as well

because every year this village has a lottery and they always use stones to fulfill the
tradition.
In the short story Blacaman the Good, Vendor of Miracles, Gabriel GarciaMarquez applies symbolism to express a negative feeling for the reader. Garcia-Marquez
states, He shut me up in the sepulchral trunk disguised as a Japanese you have this
child tormented by Ezequiels glowworms, and those of you whove been standing there
with faces of disbelief, lets see if you dare ask him when youre going to die (Marquez
276). Marquezs description of the trunk allow for it to stand for multiple symbols. Later
Marquez incorporates the trunk yet again, That time he was so honest that he didnt
break into operatic death rattles and from there he looked at me as he would have at a
mother and exhaled his last breath in his own arms I put him in that trunk of
premonitory size where there was room for him laid out (Marquez 281). The trunk
plays a huge role in the short story because it symbolizes the act of revenge. The trunk
reemerges towards the end because the main character wants to get his revenge for the
pain the original Blacaman caused him.
Both Shirley Jackson and Gabriel Garcia-Marquez use symbolism to show an
appeal to pathos. Jacksons descriptions of the stones generate an eerie feeling. Shirley
Jackson explains that the character Mrs. Delacroix had a stone that she could not pick it
up with just one hand but with two. (Jackson 7). Gabriel Garcia-Marquezs use of the
trunk creates a feeling of accomplishment. When the narrator gets his revenge for the
pain and suffering the Blacaman caused him , the description of the pain can be
Irony is one of the biggest rhetorical devices that Shirley Jackson uses in her
short story The Lottery. Jackson purposefully uses the name The Lottery to show
irony, but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole

lottery took less than two hours and the very small children rolled in the dust or clung
to the hands of their older brothers or sisters (Jackson 1). In this case the village seems
to be having a very organized and natural lottery, yet Jackson does add her twist to the
story with the help of irony. Over the duration of the story the reader comes to find that
this lottery the villagers are having is not an ordinary lottery, Although the villagers
had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remember to use
stones...and then they were upon her (Jackson 7). The irony that is utilized in this story
is that a lottery is thought of as a positive event where people can win prizes. Instead
Jackson uses the lottery as an event where people get drawn to be killed.
Gabriel Garcia-Marquez includes irony throughout his short story Blacaman the
Good, Vendor of Miracles. Towards the middle of the story Marquez writes, Finally he
threw me to rot in my own misery inside the penance dungeon... he began to imitate the
voices of edible animals, the noise of ripe beets, and the sound of fresh springs so as to
torture me with the illusion that I was dying of indigence in the midst of paradise
(Marquez 278). Marquez describes how Blacaman is torturing the narrator, and while
Marquez is doing that he is also hinting at what the irony is in the story. After the
narrator gets out of this predicament he ends up paying Blacaman back for what he did.
After the narrator escapes the dungeon, he begins to make money for the power that he
has. Finally, he comes across Blacaman again and he decides to repay him. I began to
get my revenge for his infamy, and then I revived him inside the armored tomb and left
him there rolling about in horror for the beauty of the punishment is that he will keep
on living in his tomb as long as Im alive, that is, forever (Marquez 282). The irony that
is expressed in this story is that the narrator thinks that being tortured is brutal. As

soon as the power transitions from Blacaman to the narrator, he has no problem with
torture.
Pathos is affected by irony in both The Lottery and in Blacaman the Good,
Vendor of Miracles. Jackson uses irony to create a creepy feeling, and she does this by
explaining what the actual lottery means to these villagers. To them it does not mean
winning prizes. Instead it means losing a family member or friend. Gabriel GarciaMarquez utilizes irony in his short story to produce a negative feeling for the reader.
Marquez later describes how Blacaman was torturing the narrator. When the narrator
finally got power, he turned to Blacaman and began to redeem himself.
Shirley Jackson and Gabriel Garcia-Marquez use symbolism and irony in order to
entertain. In The Lottery, Jackson uses the stones as a symbol of power and tradition.
The symbolism makes the story entertaining because it is thought provoking. Similarly,
Marquez is entertaining the reader by using the trunk as a symbol of revenge.
Symbolism plays a big role for entertainment because when an author includes symbols
in their writing it gives the audience a chance to push past their average thought
process. On the other hand, Jacksons humorous irony leads the story to be entertaining.
Marquez also applies the same rhetorical device to add humor to his story to entertain.
When irony is added to a story by the author, the reader can then be entertained
because irony is humorous.
Shirley Jackson and Gabriel Garcia-Marquez use irony and symbolism in their
short stories, The Lottery and Blacaman the Good, Vendor of Miracles. Using these
rhetorical devices is important because they can have different effects on the reader. In
Marquezs case he uses irony to create a humorous story, and he also includes
symbolism to provoke thought. On the other hand, Jackson uses irony to generate an

unnatural tenderness, yet she does add symbolism to create an eerie feeling for the
reader. Overall Shirley Jacksons and Gabriel Garcia-Marquezs use of symbolism and
irony intrigues the readers thought process and their sense of humor.

Rhetorical Analysis
Between
The Lottery
and

Blacaman the Good,

Vendor of Miracles
Josue Miranda
Mr. Cook
Honors ELA
19 November 2014
Work Cited
Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery. The Lottery and Other Stories. New York:
Farrar, 1991. 291-301. Print.
M rquez, Gabriel Garc a. Collected Stories. New York: Harper & Row,
1984. Print.