1# In the second paragraph, children put stones in their pockets and make piles of stones in the town square, which seems like children playing around until the stones’ true purpose becomes clear at the end of the story.
2# Irony is the basic theme used in the story. Outside was expressed as "a sunny day", but eventually the housewife came across a horrible death (page 715). Two people running the town, Graves and Summers have ironic names.
#3 The lesson learned is there is a danger of going along with tradition
