“The
Lottery”
Shirley Jackson
Tradition

“Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon”
(528-529).
◦ The stoning was a sacrifice made for good
crops
◦ Sacrifice goes back to ancient times (Aztecs,
Incas, Mayans)
 Blood is vital to human life, a life-giving source
◦ Stoning goes back to Biblical times
Tradition

The villagers get rid of parts of the
tradition they feel are pointless
◦ The chant & the salute
◦ They keep the savage ritual of sacrifice

The author is pointing out how resistant
people are to change (esp. the older
generation – Old Man Warner)
Plot Elements
Exciting
force
◦The
growing
season
Plot Elements
Climax
◦Tessie
draws the
black dot
Plot Elements
 Resolution
◦ “‘It isn’t fair,’ . .
. and then they
were upon
her” (531)
◦ Tessie gets
stoned
Conflicts
 Man
vs. man
◦ Tessie vs. the villagers
 Man vs. self
◦ Tessie vs. feelings of injustice
 Man vs. society
◦ Tessie vs. outdated tradition of
stoning
Characters
Mr. Summers
◦ In charge of the lottery. Wants to get
done in time for lunch & to go back to
work
◦ Lottery is a fact of life like any other
part of the day
 Old Man Warner
◦ Been through the lottery 77 times &
doesn’t want to change it
◦ Represents stubborn older generation

Characters
 Clyde
Dunbar
◦ Broken leg, but family draws
anyhow
◦ Everyone must participate
 Mrs. Delacroix
◦ Chooses the largest stone
◦ Friendship ties don’t matter
Characters
Lil’ Davy
◦ The youngest Hutchinson
 Even little children could be sacrificed
◦ Given tiny pebbles to stone his mother
 Everyone participates so there is no guilt
 Tessie Hutchinson
◦ Shows up late & jokes around until her family draws
the black dot
 Fairness only matters to the victim
◦ Wants her daughter to be part of the draw
 Willing to risk her own daughter’s life to save
herself

Theme

Man’s inhumanity to man
◦ The cruelty humans are capable of, the awful
things people do to others
◦ The villagers stone Tessie for the crops
◦ Tessie puts her own daughter at risk to save
herself
◦ No one was exempt (even Lil’ Davy could
have been chosen & had to stone his own
mother)
◦ Mrs. Delacroix chooses the largest stone
Theme

Fairness only matters to the victim
◦ Tessie was happy, joking, and participating until
her name was drawn
◦ It only became unfair when her name was
chosen
Theme

Reluctance of society to reject outdated
traditions, ideas, rules, laws, and practices
◦ Old Man Warner said that giving up the
lottery would be like going back to living in
caves
◦ The villagers got rid of the chant & salute, but
they kept the stoning
Theme

Society wrongfully designates scapegoats
to bear sins of the community
◦ For a successful growing season, Tessie was
the unlucky one chosen to be sacrificed
◦ Everyone participates so there is no guilt
Setting

June 27th, 10 AM, farming village (no year,
no town name)
◦ Could be anytime, any town because man’s
inhumanity to man happens any and
everywhere
Foreshadowing
Boys gathering stones at the beginning
 The box is black
 Tessie being late and making jokes
 Tessie saying it isn’t fair when her family is
selected and when she draws the dot

Dramatic irony

When the reader
knows something the
character does not.
Don’t open the door!
Dramatic Irony

Giving up the lottery would be uncivilized
(Old Man Warner)
◦ Nothing civil about a lottery where the
winner gets stoned

Gave up parts of the ritual (salute, chant)
but keep the inhumane part (stoning)
Situational Irony

There is a
contradiction
between what the
reader expects to
happen and what
really happens
Situational irony

Sunny day, people talking and joking, ready
to eat lunch
◦ About to stone someone

Lotteries are supposed to be good . . . win
a prize
◦ The winner “wins” death
Symbols
 The
black box
◦ Worn,
splintered,
fading
◦ Represents
outdated
traditions
Symbols
 The
black dot
◦ Family member
who draws it is
stoned to death
◦ Represents the
scapegoat who
bears the blame
of society
Symbols
 The
setting
◦ Vague with no
year, no town
name
◦ Represents how
man’s
inhumanity to
man happens
any time and
anywhere