How do the symbols in "The Lottery" compare to the ones in A Farewell to Arms?

In reviewing the symbols of "The Lottery," by Shirley
Jackson, and A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, the motif
that both stories share is that of death—and the unfairness of
death.

Depending upon the opinion of readers and reviewers,
different elements of each story take on symbolic significance. Generally, we can find
symbols in studying images that are used repeatedly by the
author.

A symbol is:

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Any object, person, place, or action that has a
meaning in itself and that also stands for something larger than it
does...

We are generally
familiar with symbols even if we don't realize it. A dove is symbolic of peace. A rose
is generally symbolic of love, and differently colored roses have their own symbolic
meanings as well. For many years, lions have been symbolic of power, snakes are symbolic
of evil, red is symbolic of passion or blood, and white is symbolic of purity. Symbols
surround us in literature, art, music…life.

Michael Ferber,
author of A Dictionary of Literary Symbols, points out two symbolic
meanings for rain, but only one would reflect its significance in Hemingway's
work.

Of the
many symbolic aspects of rain…[we look to the] obvious developments of rain's real
effects: rain as suffering or bad
luck…

"Rain" is identified in
several sources as a symbol in A Farewell to Arms. The story begins
with rain and ends—with the passing of Catherine—with rain. The death of thousands of
soldiers from cholera is accompanied by pouring rain. So it would seem that rain is
symbolic of death and tragedy.

There are several symbols in
Jackson's "The Lottery," including the lottery itself, several character's names, and
the black box. The black box symbolizes the tradition (however horrific) that has been
carried on in this town for as long as anyone can remember, and beyond. It is from the
box that the names of families are pulled, leading eventually to death. The box is also
black, a color long symbolic of death.

While the symbols
are very different, what they have in common is their association with death: not a
noble death, but one that is unfairly visited upon the "innocent." Hemingway's Catherine
and Henry see the war as something that kills good people, robbing them of
everything—happiness, love, security, and ultimately, life. Similarly, in Jackson's
short story, the lottery also robs good people of life: there is no good reason for this
long-held practice, and the victim (Tessie Hutchinson) is guiltless. It is in this way
that the symbols are similar.

Additional
Source:

Michael Ferber. A
Dictionary of Literary Symbols. New York: Cambridge University Press,
1999.

http://library.thinkquest.org/23846/library/terms/index.html