How does the author use imagery in "The Lottery"?

Shirley Jackson uses imagery by selecting vivid stamps of daily life in a typical community to make the story more realistic. She uses a bright day in June, when the sun is out, the air is warm and crisp, and the people are out and about, as the happy setting of a shockingly morbid story. This imagery inspires an ironic sense of tranquility, comfort and joy. It conveys the message that "everything is alright", and that the members of that community are quite lucky to be a part of such an idyllic place; a place where things seem to be in complete harmony

The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day [...]in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o’clock in the morning and still be through in time [...] for noon dinner.

Imagery is also used to describe the intonation that some characters use when they speak. You will notice that, on several occasions, we need to know this in order to ascertain whether the words being said are part of the overall ironic tone that Jackson infuses throughout this macabre tale, or not.

For instance, when the villagers discuss the origins of the lottery, we find out that they do not even know the exact beginning of it, nor the actual rationale behind it. Hence, Jackson describes the expression made by Old Man Warner as follows: 

Old Man Warner snorted. “Pack of crazy fools,” he said. “Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them. [...] Used to be a saying about Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. ‘ First thing you know, we’d all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns. There’s always been a lottery,” he added petulantly.

This is how we know that Warner was quite set in his ways regarding the lottery and that, to him, it made total sense. 

On the other hand, imagery is also used to describe the reactions of the villagers regarding the savage tradition that they follow so blindly. The expression of terror and fear in Tessie's face upon her name being called is juxtaposed to that of the villagers, who pick up stones in a nonchalant way and, with all the normalcy in the world, proceed to stone Tessie to death, just because her name came up as the "lottery winner". All of this, they want to do quick enough in order to get back to supper on time. (?!)

These small descriptors make a big difference with imagery in the way in which the story is read. These snippets of visualization convey irony, terror, shock, and fear while making the reader realize how all of these negative emotions can easily take place on a "bright day in June" where all things look like they are in perfect order.