The Lottery

"The Lottery" written by Shirley Jackson is a classic tale about society's aversion to change from tradition. On June 27th each year, a small town gathers together religiously for an annual lottery drawing. Jackson cleverly uses many symbolic events to foreshadow what the winner of the lottery actually wins.

The story opens with the gathering of the townsfolk in a place where "square dances, the teen-age club, [and] the Halloween program" were held, demonstrating that the townspeople seem very keen on the tradition of the town. The children are the first to assemble. Oddly enough, they are stuffing their pockets full of stones and setting them aside in a pile. What is the pile of stones are for? Why is it important to the story?

In this lottery, the townspeople pick pieces of paper out of a black box. The people of the small town read dread this day because as they began to gather, "their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed." Tessie Hutchinson arrived late to join her family in line. The head of every family is told to draw a piece of paper from the box and not to reveal what is inside. It turns out that the Hutchinson family is chosen. Each family member must draw a piece of paper. When Tessie is the one to draw the paper with the black dot, it finally becomes clear to the audience the purpose of the stones.

Jackson reveals through foreshadowing that the lottery is actually an annual drawing to stone a neighbor. Although everyone is against it, the town continues the tradition because they are too afraid of change. Jackson is showing readers that they do not necessarily have to accept and act on traditions that have no meaning, and choosing to accept traditions, means having to accept the consequences of them.