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How is the lottery conducted in the short story the lottery?

The lottery in Shirley Jackson’s famous short story “The Lottery” is a very unusual ritual that is conducted by the villagers every year. It involves selecting one person at random to be stoned to death by the rest of the villagers as a sacrifice for a good harvest. The story provides a detailed look at how this morbid tradition is carried out.

When and where does the lottery take place?

The lottery takes place on June 27th every year in a small, rural village of about 300 people. The villagers gather in the morning at 10 am in the town square, between the post office and the bank. The town is described as having dirt roads and no streetlights or signs. The lottery is conducted in this town square amid the villagers going about their daily routine and chores. Children are dismissed from school for the day to partake in the lottery as well.

Who conducts the lottery?

The lottery is conducted by Mr. Summers, who is in charge of a number of civic activities in the village, including organizing square dances, the teen club, and the Halloween program. Mr. Summers runs the lottery along with Mr. Graves, who helps by carrying the traditional black wooden box used for the lottery ritual. Other principal leaders of the village like the postmaster and banker help with overseeing the crowd during the lottery.

What happens when the villagers gather?

The villagers gather quietly in the town square. The men stand together talking while the women gossip. Children gather stones into piles and young boys stuff their pockets full of stones. There is an air of awkwardness and tension underlying the small talk as the villagers wait for the lottery to begin.

Once everyone has arrived, the rectangle boxes are set in place. These black wooden boxes are faded, splintered, and stained from years of use, one for each family in the village. Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves carry the battered original black box used for the official lottery up to the stool in the center of the square.

How are families organized?

The villagers organize themselves into family units as the heads of each household come forward to select a folded slip of paper from the black box. The heads of households include men like Mr. Adams, Mr. Graves, and Mr. Martin as well as women including Mrs. Hutchinson and Mrs. Delacroix. The Hutchinsons, for example, include the husband Bill, wife Tessie, and their three children. Extended family like in-laws, cousins, and grandparents gather together under a single head of household.

This family organization is critical for the lottery as each slip of paper represents a family. The drawing will result in one slip being chosen, dooming that slip holder’s entire family for the stoning sacrifice.

What happens during the drawing?

Once the families are organized, Mr. Summers stirs up the slips of paper inside the black box, ensuring they are well mixed. The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, so the black box used now is only a substitute. However, the villagers staunchly keep all the traditions and customs associated with the original box and ritual intact regardless.

Mr. Summers then calls up each head of household in alphabetical order to come forward and draw a slip of paper. No one in the crowd is allowed to examine the slip after it is drawn. The scene grows increasingly tense and somber as each villager draws their family’s fate from the ominous black box.

How is the “winner” chosen?

Once every head of household has drawn a slip, Mr. Summers begins calling out the names written on each slip of paper to identify which family has “won” the lottery. It takes a long time as there are 300 villagers, but the crowd waits in anxious suspense.

Finally, the Hutchinson slip is read out. Immediately Tessie Hutchinson yells out “It wasn’t fair!” But no one pays her any mind as it is too late – the Hutchinson family has been chosen. According to tradition, once a family has been announced as the winner, there is no mechanism for changing it.

How does the stoning sacrifice proceed?

Now that the Hutchinson family has “won” the lottery, they must participate in the stoning sacrifice. The villagers grab stones from the piles the children made earlier and slowly advance towards the victim’s family. Mrs. Delacroix selects a stone so large she can’t lift it herself, needing her husband’s help. Although reluctant at first, even little Davy Hutchinson ends up grabbing a few stones to throw.

Tessie Hutchinson is in the center of the crowd begging for the villagers to reconsider as the stones begin flying at her. First they aim for the children and theWatchersthe stones bringing them down. Then Tessie is the sole target as she screams about the unfairness. The villagers continue flinging stones at her until she is completely battered and stoned to death, completing the sacrificial ritual.

What happens after the stoning?

With the sacrifice completed, the villagers begin heading home and going back to their daily business, as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened. They socialize, congratulate each other for a job well done, and make plans for chores and activities later in the day. The lottery is finished for another year, and life in the village goes on as normal.

The only reminder left of the grim affair is the pile of stones left in the center of the square, along with Tessie Hutchinson’s mangled body. But even this will soon be cleared up and erased, with no visible trace remaining of the lottery’s morbid tradition.

Conclusion

Shirley Jackson’s depiction of the lottery ritual provides a chilling look at how otherwise normal people can become complicit in toxic traditions and senseless violence through groupthink. By portraying the randomness of the selection and the ordinary villagers transformed into stone-throwing executioners, Jackson critiques the dangers of passively following traditions without moral thought or questioning their barbaric roots. The mundane ordinariness of the setting and villagers underscores the disturbing cruelty they are capable of when caught up in sanctioned group activities like the lottery. Their actions warn against the risks of blind obedience in any society.

Key Elements of the Lottery Ritual

The Black Box

The black box used for the lottery slips is a key symbol in the ritual. It is described as shabby, splintered, and stained from decades of use. This highlights how the tradition is outdated and barbaric, yet its longevity gives it an aura of unquestioned authority in the villagers’ minds.

The Hutchinson Family as Victims

The fact that ordinary mother and housewife Tessie Hutchinson ends up the victim underscores the randomness and unfairness of selection. It could have been any other family, yet the Hutchinsons meet their cruel fate simply because chance dictated it.

The Piles of Stones

The piles of stones gathered by the children in preparation for the stoning show how ingrained this horrific ritual is in the village culture. Even the youngest members are intimately familiar with and participate in the grisly tradition.

Third-Person Narration

Jackson’s detached third-person narration adds to the chilling tone. By providing an objective outsider’s perspective, the horrifying actions of the villagers come across as normalized and ordinary, underscoring how mob mentality can enable evil.

Analysis of Key Characters

Tessie Hutchinson

As the unlucky victim, Tessie represents how the lottery’s arbitrary selection leads to the scapegoating of an innocent person. Her protests about the unfairness also serve to jolt readers into questioning the ritual in a way the passive villagers never think to do.

Old Man Warner

Warner’s insistence on adhering to tradition makes him complacent in the lottery’s barbarity. His stubborn orthodoxy represents the cultural inertia that allows toxic practices to persist even when their original purpose is long forgotten.

Mr. Summers

As the lottery official, Summers demonstrates how even decent people can enable evil by just “doing one’s job” without moral reflection. His cheerful carrying out of duties to facilitate the murderous ritual reveals the danger of blind obedience toauthority.

The Villagers

The interchangeable villagers represent the timeless danger of groupthink and mob mentality. Their shared responsibility for the stoning diffuses any sense of personal culpability, showing how ordinary people do horrific things through conformity.

Common Discussion Questions

Why doesn’t anyone question or protest the lottery?

The villagers fail to protest due to social conditioning and groupthink. The lottery is a long-standing tradition, so they have grown complacent and stopped critically examining its problematic origins or moral implications. Individual dissent is suppressed through peer pressure to conform, as no one wants to risk social ostracism.

Is Tessie Hutchinson morally responsible for her own fate?

While Tessie participates in the lottery over the years, the story suggests she is simply conforming to expected social obligations. Only when she becomes the victim does she suddenly recognize and decry the injustice. As an individual, she has little power to question or change such an entrenched community ritual.

What critiques of society do you think Jackson is making?

Jackson seems to critique the dangers of blind obedience to authority, mob mentality, scapegoating, and upholding barbaric practices simply because “it’s always been this way.” The story warns against the human tendency to conformity and complacency even with morally reprehensible acts when they become socially normalized.

Comparing Different Adaptations

Shirley Jackson’s iconic “The Lottery” has been adapted into several films, plays, TV shows, operas, and other media over the decades. Here is a comparison of some key adaptations and how they interpret the source material:

The Lottery (1969 film)

This short film sticks close to Jackson’s original text, providing a faithful adaptation with stark visuals reflecting the horror of the stoning ritual. It uses close-ups and editing to heighten emotional impact.

The Lottery (1996 TV movie)

This adaptation expands the original story into a longer exploration of various characters’ motivations. Flashbacks are added developing backstories. More emphasis is placed on the dramatic interpersonal dynamics.

The Lottery (Opera)

Composer Philip Glass’s two-act opera transforms Jackson’s story into a disturbing modern folk opera. The minimalist score creates an ominous mood underscoring the horror. Vocal parts dramatize inner monologues.

Adaptation Format Style & Focus
1969 film Short film Faithful; stark visual style
1996 TV movie Movie Expanded characterizations
Opera Opera Minimalist score; inner monologues

The Lottery (Comic Book)

A 2016 graphic novel version uses dark illustrations inspired by Edward Gorey. The visuals take a grotesque, exaggerated approach to the ritual and violence.

Conclusion

Each adaptation provides a new take reflecting the creator’s style and modern context. But Jackson’s nightmarish vision remains chilling and impactful decades later, allowing for numerous creative reinterpretations tailored to various genres and mediums. The story continues to warn against conformity and blind obedience in ways both disturbing and artistically engaging.

Impact of “The Lottery” in Society and Culture

Published in 1948, Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” caused an immediate sensation and controversy. Its impact over subsequent decades has established the story as a classic work of American literature that continues to shape discussions on culture and society.

Initial Shock and Controversy

Many of The New Yorker’s readers cancelled their subscriptions in protest after the story’s publication. The public was not ready for such a horrifying vision of human cruelty cloaked in the mundane. But the immense reaction proved the story’s tremendous power.

Rise of Feminist Analysis

In the 1960s and 1970s, feminist critics did much to rehabilitate the story’s reputation. Focus turned to analyzing gender roles and Jackson’s critique of patriarchal domination. Tessie’s defiant final words were seen as holding proto-feminist significance.

Pop Culture Influence

As a parable of terror cloaked in the ordinary, “The Lottery” helped shape the modern horror genre exemplified by the likes of Stephen King. Its influence is visible in works from Shirley Jackson-inspired TV series like “Stranger Things” to The Hunger Games’ dystopian lottery.

Critical Recognition

Today Shirley Jackson is considered a master of 20th century American gothic and terror fiction. “The Lottery” is widely studied in high schools and universities as a model literary work with profound cultural analysis embedded in its economical style.

Ongoing Social Commentary

The story remains relevant for spurring discussion of contemporary issues like the dangers of mob mentality, toxic masculinity, and upholding problematic traditions. Scholars continue to uncover new angles challenging blind conformity and unconscious cruelty in society.

Diverse Critical Interpretations of “The Lottery”

Here is an overview of some major critical schools of thought and their readings on Shirley Jackson’s famous short story:

Historical Analysis

Some scholars view the story as metaphorically critiquing the WWII home front and Cold War hysteria, with conformity representing totalitarianism. The lottery represents paranoia and scapegoating fueled by authoritarian social dynamics.

Feminist Reading

Feminist critics often focus on gender roles and the victimization of the female protagonist. They see Tessie’s death highlighting the violence against women condoned by patriarchal societies.

Postcolonial View

Postcolonial thinkers relate the unquestioned ritual to cultural imperialism and critiques of tradition. The story highlights how rituals can encode problematic power structures and become tools of oppression.

Psychological Analysis

Some psychoanalytic interpretations see the lottery as representing the Freudian unconscious and repression/denial of violent urges. The ritual acts as an outlet for these repressed impulses in a socially sanctioned way.

Conclusion

The richness of “The Lottery” lies in its flexibility as an allegorical tale depicting profound aspects of human psychology and society. The story continues to lend itself to enlightening analysis through diverse critical lenses, attesting to its masterful artistry and timeless social commentary.