Tessie Hutchinson’s family members did not demonstrate any loyalty to her, which was gruesome. One of the most important themes in The Lottery is the family theme. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.” Even her husband and kids became her executioners. Even babies have to participate in this ruthless ritual. People already took the stones and started throwing it at her. At that moment, she starts saying that it is not just. A wife and a mother, Tessie Hutchinson, is the one who gets the paper with the black dot. The one who gets a paper with a black dot on it will have to be stoned to death. Every family member of the selected household has to draw a lottery ticket personally. The next step in the lottery is a ritual. The head of the family tries to argue with Mr. A boy from the Hutchinson family draws, and the readers realize that the lottery is not about winning.

Until the lottery starts and everyone takes its turn. The reader does not know what prize people will be able to win. Until this moment in the story, there is no real indication of what is about to happen. The black box is ancient, meaning that this lottery tradition continued for a very long time. Summers, a man, who represents authority in the short story, carries out a black wooden box. This type of warning at the beginning of the story is foreshadowing. The boys are stuffing their pockets with stones, picking the most beautiful and round ones. In the second paragraph, the readers learn that the children are the first ones to assemble at the square. This type of setting is very unusual for this genre. It starts around 10 in the morning, with the participants going back to their homes for lunch at around noon.ĭespite this initial scene, The Lottery is a horror story.

The story starts with a very peaceful description, “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day the flowers were blossoming profusely, and the grass was richly green.” The villagers are gathering to participate in an annual lottery, which will take about 2 hours. It centers around several themes, such as the role of traditions, parenting, and scapegoating. This story is considered one of the best American short stories of the 20th century. Shirley Jackson wrote several short stories, but she is broadly remembered because of her short story The Lottery.

The lottery short story summary