The Lottery Short Story Analysis
Section A- Pre-reading strategies
1.
I feel like the story is going to be about somebody winning or losing by playing
the lottery.
2. The lottery is a game that you play to win money. There are many different ways
to play the lottery. Scratch cards, betting or going to the casino. Lottery- A
contest in which tokens are distributed or sold, the winning tokens being secretly
predetermined or ultimately selected in a random drawing.
Emotions- Emotions can run high when playing the lottery, everyone wants to win
and some people spend a lot of money on betting and loose it.
Section B- Reading Strategies
1. a) The story takes place in a village square between the post office and the bank.
b) The general mood of the story is anxious.
c) The characters are Mr. Summers, Mr. Graves, Mr. Martin, Mrs. Hutchinson
(Tessie) Mr. Hutchinson (Bill) The towns people.
2. a) Every one in the village started to join in the center of the town. They were all
there for the lottery. The lottery is played once a year on June 27th. Parents
gripped the hands of their children anxiously awaiting the outcome of the lottery.
Everyone in town took a piece of paper out of a black box and waited for
everyone to have a piece. The town’s people opened the papers together. Mr.
Hutchinson had the paper that had the black dot on it. He won, Tessie protested
“he didn’t have enough time to choose it isn’t fair” Mr. Summers then decided
that he would draw the lottery again but just with the Hutchinson family. Each of
them took a paper again and one after another opened it. Tessie had drawn the
winning slip. ‘This isn’t fair” she cried out. The town’s people surrounded her and
began to through stones at her killing her.
b) Jovial- Cheerful and friendly
Interminably- Seeming to be without end, tiresomely long.
Disengaged- To release from something that holds fast, connects or entangles. To free
or detach one self, withdrawn.
3. a) Mr. Summers-Devoted- He had time and energy to devote to civic activities.
Dutiful- Motivated by a sense of duty to the town.
Trust worth- The town’s people trusted him to conduct the lottery.
b) The climax of the story is when Tessie pulled out the piece of paper that had the
black dot on it. I think this is the climax because it is exciting. We don’t know yet
what will happen over the draw if it is good or bad.
c) The conflict in the story is when Tessie complained and protested to the town
because she thought Bill didn’t have enough time to pick a paper.
4. a) Sight- It was a clear and sunny, Flowers were blossoming and the grass was
richly green. The black box now resting on a stool.
Sound- The woman standing by their husbands began to call their children. Having to
be called four or five times.
b) The author is effective in establishing the setting and mood by going into depth
about the surrounding and also the characters thoughts and conversations.
5. a) The purpose of this story is to present insight about life. By following the
crowd you loose your individuality. Tessie believed that the lottery was wrong
and not fair but she had always gone along with it.
b) The theme of the story is suspenseful. I think that because you want to know the
out come of the lottery. We want to know who is going to win. We also want to know
what they will win.
c) I rate this story on a scale from zero to ten at a 6.
I don’t like that at the end the whole reason for the lottery was to kill someone.
Christina Luehof