Kylon Smith
English Comp I
Mwf 9:35-11:3
The Lottery

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is based of a community in what is presumed 1940 America. Where a town comes to a mandatory meeting, to pick a folded piece of paper out of a black box held by the deputy of the town along with the mayor. Many papers are blank, except one that has a black dot cirlced in the center. This is what the towns folk are rounded up for.

Tessie Hutchinson is the main protagnist of the short story, event thought it is viewed by many other’s in the crowd. Tessie Joins the crowd late, in high spirits. Presumed to be in her late 30’s the pulling of lottery is nothing new to her, she gives hugs, even makes quirky remarkes to the mayor. Shirley jackson made this clear so that the reader understands that whats about to transfold is normal, how easily the community continues something that is being questioned by the order generation. Each family in the community is represented by the male of the house. Each male walks towards the box pulling out a folded piece of paper. All while doing so rumors spread across the crowd. The younger members of the community started asking questions, Why do they still do the lottery?.Many other towns already stopped the continuation of the of the pulling. Old Man Warner replied that there all just a bunch of crazy fools, Listening ot the young was a foolish idea. They always had the lottery every since he was a child, if they didn’t want ot have such things they could go back to there caves. This shows that change is around the corner but the younger generations would have to wait till the older to die.

Once all of the men picked there papers, Mr. summers asks them to open them. When Bill;Tessies husband opens the winning lottery ticket her happy go mood instantly dissapears. She starts begging the crowd for a redo, this is the first time the reader starts to get a glimpse on what the lottery is all bad. She that bill was rushed, that the ticket was not the one he was trying to grab. Her please are ignored. Mr. Summers asks bill to place the paper back in the box along with 4 others