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“The Lottery”
Mahmudul Hasan
22054-528
ASA College, NY
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On June 27, a gorgeous summer day, everyone in the small New England community
where "The Lottery" is set is assembling for their customary yearly lottery. Although everyone
seems to be having a good time at first, it soon becomes apparent that nobody wants to win the
lotto. Until her family makes the feared mark, Tessie Hutchinson appears nonchalant by the
custom. She then complains that the procedure wasn't just. It turns out that the "winner" will be
stoned to death by the surviving citizens. Tessie triumphs, and the narrative comes to an end as
the townspeople, including members of her own family, start throwing rocks at her.
Using contrasts deftly, Jackson keeps the reader's expectations at conflict with the story's
events, which is mostly how the story's horrifying effect is maintained.
We might anticipate good things because of the nice weather, family get-togethers, and
the phrase "lottery," which typically suggests positive things for the victor. It is all the more
distressing to find out what the "winner" actually receives when we had anticipated the reverse.
The people' laid-back demeanor as they converse—some even cracking jokes—belies the
impending bloodshed, much like the tranquil surroundings. The events are described in the same
matter of fact, everyday style that the villagers use since the narrator's perspective seems to be
entirely in line with the villagers.
The people' laid-back demeanor as they converse—some even cracking jokes—belies the
impending bloodshed, much like the tranquil surroundings. The events are described in the same
matter of fact, everyday style that the villagers use since the narrator's perspective seems to be
entirely in line with the villagers.
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For instance, the town is small enough that the lottery may be completed "in time to
allow the inhabitants to travel home for noon meal," according to the narrator. The men are
gathered and are chatting about everyday issues like "planting and rain, tractors and taxes." The
lottery is just one of Mr. Summers' "civic activities," along with "the square dances, the
adolescent club, and the Halloween program."
No one liked to upset even as much tradition as was symbolized by the black box,
according to Jackson's narrator. The truth is that the villages recall relatively few specifics, and
the box itself is not the original, despite the locals' desire to believe that they are upholding
tradition. Songs and salutes are the subject of rumors, but no one seems to be certain of the
tradition's origin or the specifics.
The violence is the only thing that never changes, and it provides some insight into the
villagers' priorities (and presumably those of humanity as a whole). The people remembered to
use stones despite having forgotten the ceremony and misplaced the original black box,
according to Jackson.
The line, "A stone hit her on the side of the head," said by the narrator is among the
story's starkest moments. The way the sentence is written grammatically makes it appear as
though Tessie was hit by the stone on its own volition, rather than as though someone actually
threw it. No one takes personal responsibility for the murder because all of the people take part,
even lending Tessie's little son some pebbles to throw. And that, in my opinion, is Jackson's most
compelling justification for how this barbarous institution has survived.