The Lottery
A lottery is a contest where prizes are allocated by a process that depends on chance. Typical prizes include money, goods, or services. There are many different ways to organize a lottery. The prize pool can be as small as a single ticket, or as large as the entire National Basketball Association draft. Organizers must take into account costs for organizing, promoting, and administering the lottery. A percentage of the prize pool goes as taxes and profits to the state or sponsor, and the remainder is available for winners. The size of the prize pool can affect the number of winners. Large prizes attract more people, but they also require larger ticket sales and a greater cost to administer the lottery.
The lottery is a common form of selection for something that is in high demand but limited in supply. Examples include kindergarten admission at a reputable school, lottery to occupy units in a subsidized housing block, or a medical research lottery for a life-saving vaccine. The lottery can also be used to select students for a college.
Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery is a short story that exemplifies how the human race can be cruel to one another and how easily people can ignore the evil around them. The story illustrates that evil exists in the world, even in small, seemingly peaceful places. It is also a critique of how people blindly follow outdated traditions and rituals. Despite the gruesome outcome of Mrs. Hutchinson’s death, the other villagers continued to accept their fate.
This is an important theme in the story because it shows how a person can be manipulated by other people, even by family members. The fact that Tessie’s family did not show any loyalty to her and only cared about their own survival proves that families are often used as tools to carry out injustice. This is a problem that persists today, as can be seen by the mass incarceration of African Americans, the profiling and hate crimes against Muslims after 9/11, and the scapegoating of immigrants in the United States.
The story uses a variety of characterization methods to show the personalities and motivations of the characters. The most noteworthy method is the use of action to imply character traits. For example, the way Mrs. Delacroix picks a big stone expresses her determination and quick temper. The setting of the story is also an important factor in defining character. The Lottery takes place in a rural area and is set during winter. The cold and snowy weather helps to make the story more believable. The setting also provides a sense of foreboding throughout the story. This builds up suspense and tension and adds to the dramatic effect of the plot. The Lottery is a compelling story that will leave you thinking about its many themes and characters long after reading it. It will remain a favorite for generations to come. You can find it on Amazon in a variety of editions.