The situation is extremely ironic to the story. In actuality when the reader gets to the end of the story, he finds just the opposite to be true.
Without symbolism, the story would amount to a little more than an odd tale about stoning. The story starts everybody gathering soft rocks or stones however you want to call it. The story opens up on a clear June day. And that only because of their selfishness in wanting to survive, preferring someone else to die.
The children arrive first and begin collecting stones until their parents call them to order. The title of the story "The Lottery" is ironic. In the short story, Daru has several choices to make. After finding themoney, the men plan to stay with it until it becomes dark and they cansafely take it away.
This allows for incite to what can happen in the future or what has happened in the past. The setting of the story is ironic in that it is misleading. We cease to grow.
Initially, the setting creates an image of a typical small town on a normal summer day. These are all equally important to the irony and without them the story would not have been as interesting as it was.