The Lottery

"Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones." pg 264
The Lottery
Shirley Jackson

When I think of the lottery I think of the million dollar prize and lottery tickets. This story, however, was not like the lottery of today. Winning this lottery entailed death. Tensions rose as families awaited to see whether or not they got the black dot which was the difference between the life or death of someone in your family. It is ironic because the lottery is usually associated with riches, yet the winner of this lottery is punished by being stoned to death.

The stoning is foreshadowed in the above quote with the boys all gathering up the best rocks. These boys are used to the lotteries and stoning obviously because they readily go out and collect the stones. No one seems to find the lottery absurd or odd, but it's rather seen as a common activity in the town that is actually anticipated.  The third person point of view provides no comment on the sacrificial activity or lottery process showing that this lottery is an accepted tradition.

Overall this story portrays the cruelty of human nature. I was somewhat reminded of the Bible stories in which the Romans would throw humans into the coliseum filled with hungry tigers as a means of entertainment. The scapegoat in this story was Tessie; she arrived late afraid she would miss out on the fun of the lottery and yet she is the one that ends up receiving the stoning. At the end of the story and she keeps saying "It isn't fair" to show that the lottery is in fact, not fair at all. It is an old tradition that simply is not right.