Shirley Jackson short story “The Lottery” is totally apolitical and she said as much many times. There is no symbolism connected with this work at all. True, while being immensely talented, she had a very troubled life-mostly her own creation by her abuses of alcohol and prescription drugs. She said the story started out as some kind of marriage lottery that was being forced upon the townspeople but put the sacrifice of the winner by stoning just on a whim.