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The Lottery Summary
Shirley Jackson
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The Lottery Summary
The Lottery summary
In "The Lottery," the inhabitants of a New England town gather in the town square to draw lots. Whoever draws a slip of paper with a black dot on it will be killed. After two drawings, a woman named Tessie is stoned to death in the town square.
"The Lottery" summary key points:
A ritual begins: Mr. Summers brings forth a box with hundreds of slips of paper inside.
The names of all the family members in the town are collected.
Bill draws a slip of paper with a dark splotch and Tessie voices the concern that his selection was unfair.
The slips are retrieved and the drawing continues. Tessie takes a slip with a black spot and is stoned to death by the other townspeople.
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Summary
(Comprehensive Guide to Short Stories, Critical Edition)
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On a late summer morning, the villagers of a small New England town gather to conduct their annual lottery. There is an air of festivity among them, especially the children. Only a few in the crowd reveal slight hints of tension or unease.
The lottery has a long history in this and surrounding towns. The people who run it—in this town, Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves—work hard to preserve the rituals that have been passed down from year to year. Changes have crept in, and some old-timers such as Old Man Warner regret what they perceive as a loss of a heritage that has preserved the happiness and prosperity of the town over time.
All the villagers finally arrive, Tessie Hutchinson being one of the last. Mr. Summers conducts the preliminaries, ensuring that each family is represented and that those who are absent have someone on hand to draw for them. Finally the lottery begins: Heads of families step forward and draw small paper slips from the black box that Mr. Summers keeps for the occasion. As this goes on, townspeople engage in small talk, and the air of festivity gives way to a pervasive aura of nervousness.
When all the slips are drawn, Bill Hutchinson discovers that he has picked the one marked with a black spot. Immediately Tessie begins complaining that the drawing was not conducted properly. Others encourage her to be a good sport, however, and her protests fall on deaf ears. She and the other members of her immediate family now come forward and draw slips, as various townspeople whisper apprehensively. Tessie draws the slip with the black spot. Mr. Summers commands, “Let’s finish quickly.”