The ending is foreshadowed by the boys gathering stones and the adults’ reaction to them.
Jackson does not tell us what is really happening in this village until the very end of the story. It seems like just an ordinary small-town function, like a pie eating contest or a Founder’s Day parade. Everything seems sweet and innocent. However, there are hints from the beginning that things are not right.
Why are the little boys all...
The ending is foreshadowed by the boys gathering stones and the adults’ reaction to them.
Jackson does not tell us what is really happening in this village until the very end of the story. It seems like just an ordinary small-town function, like a pie eating contest or a Founder’s Day parade. Everything seems sweet and innocent. However, there are hints from the beginning that things are not right.
Why are the little boys all gathering stones?
Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix … eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys.
The boys gather stones, so this is obviously something that is part of the town event. They do it in a businesslike but sort of nervous manner. Then when their parents arrive, they avoid the stones. They keep their children away from them and call them back when they go near them. The stones are the hint that something is not right in what seems like an otherwise normal scene.
They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed. The women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk.
The reader does not know the purpose of the stones. The reader may even feel that there is an innocent use for them. We really do not know. However, the men’s reactions to the stones seems to indicate something. The reader might just think they don’t want the boys to play with them. The boys are drawn to them. While this is foreshadowing, it is also just a hint. Boys are drawn to stones no matter what!
The stones are used to kill one citizen a year. This horrible development is foreshadowed by showing us the stones, and then showing us how people react to the stones. At the same time, we are told how the town is so simple and small and values tradition. There is no sign of murderous intent. Jackson wants us to think all is well until we find out it isn't.
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