The surprise in Shirley Jackson's short story, "The
Lottery," is that unlike lotteries today that give away large sums of money to the
winners, in this story, the person whose name is chosen is not a
"winner," but definitely a loser.
The
person who gets the paper marked with the black spot is the one whose life is sacrificed
as everyone picks up stones and hurls them at that person until he or she is dead. Even
the children are encouraged to participate in the stone throwing. Strangely, the event
first seems like a gathering of townsfolk for a picnic or festival. People chat and act
as if it is any other day. It is not until late in the story that the reader starts to
get an idea that this is anything but a normal
day.
The story is not clear as to why they carry out this
tradition. It has been going on for a very long time—since the
village was first settled. People in town accept it; for example, when Tess, who is
chosen, starts to complain (in an understandable panic), her husband tells her to "shut
up." Some people discuss that nearby towns have been talking about doing away with the
lottery, but this town does not show these signs. When the Adamses convey this
information to Old Man Warner, he replies:
Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go
back to living in caves. There's always been a
lottery.
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