Shirley JacksonWhat is the true nature of humanity? Are people fundamentally good or fundamentally evil? Over the centuries, many people have tried to find the answer to this question, to no avail. Author Shirley Jackson takes a definite stance on the issue throughout her work, asserting that people are fundamentally evil. Often this theme is obviously hinted at in his stories, but sometimes it is woven in more subtle ways. In her short stories “The Lottery,” “Elizabeth,” and “Flower Garden,” Shirley Jackson uses color to symbolize the cruelty and evil common in everyday life. In “The Lottery,” Jackson tells the story of what seems to be an innocent festival in a small rural American town. All the residents gather around a black box and happily take turns pulling pieces of paper from it until one of them gets a paper with a black mark. as the story takes a horrific turn and its true theme is revealed: the person who ends up with a mark on their paper is stoned to death, in the belief that this will bring the town a better harvest. The theme of cruelty appears in. Daily life is clear in this story, as the town first appears as an average place with average people, but quickly becomes something horrible and terrible. As Helen Nebeker points out in her article ““The Lottery”: a symbolic tour de force”. Jackson attempts to show that not only is man's fundamental nature cruel, but that this cruelty is so ingrained in traditions and everyday events that it is unlikely to ever be changed (302). This view is demonstrated throughout the story in symbolic terms, particularly through the use of color. The most obvious way color is used symbolically is on the box and on the piece of paper marked...... middle of paper... ...and the nicest woman in town, does not frame not with the severe and cruel women who all dress in white and shades of gray. Points like this are brought up throughout the story, clearly demonstrating Jackson's use of color to symbolize the cruel nature of humanity. Like this example in “Flower Garden,” Shirley Jackson uses color in “The Lottery,” “Elizabeth,” and “Flower Garden.” to symbolize a persistent theme of underlying cruelty in everyday life. Although she sometimes achieves this through a shocking twist as in "The Lottery" and sometimes through subtle characterization as in "Elizabeth," human malevolence is common in Jackson's works. It's hard to imagine a writer focusing more on the subject. Jackson took a clear stand on the question of the true nature of humanity. It is up to the reader to decide whether to follow his opinions or reject them..