Shirley Jackson is the author of the short story “The Lottery,” written in 1948. All citizens of a small village gather in the square between the post office and the bank. It is a warm and sunny morning of June 27th, so it is high time to organize the lottery, which should not last long.
Compared to other towns, the population of this village is not large, about 300 people. Children, who are already free from school, come to the place first. They talk about their interests and plans and gather stones in their pockets. Then, the square gets filled with men, who discuss their routine affairs, like harvest and weather. Women join last, exchange recent gossip, and stand by their husbands. All citizens, except Clyde Dunbar, who has recently broken his leg, have come to the meeting. Mr. Summers is a planner of the current civic activity; he brings a black wooden box. He is followed by Mr. Graves, who carries a tabouret where the box will be placed. Mr. Summers wonders if someone would like to assist him with the organization, and Mr. Martin with his son agree.
The box is old, and its construction requires some repair. Despite giving multiple promises after each lottery, Mr. Summers does not take a step to improve it. One of the citizens, Old Man Warner, admits that it is his seventy-seventh time. Mrs. Adams informs that some places have already rejected the lottery, but most present on the square think this activity is a meaningful tradition and a solid requirement for the population. Some individuals, like Mrs. Hutchinson, have forgotten what day it is now as if it is not that important. She joins her husband and underlines that she is late because of the necessity to wash dishes after her family. So, the lottery is open, and the heads of families take a piece of paper out of the box according to the alphabet. Such names as Allen, Anderson, Bentham, Clark, Delacroix, etc., are pronounced. Each time, a man comes out of the crown, takes out a paper but does not look at it, waiting for everyone to get their “lottery.”
Zanini is the last name on the list, and the next breathless minute is the moment when all participants open their papers. The Hutchinsons “win,” but Tessie Hutchinson shouts that it is not fair, and Mr. Summers does not give the man much time to take the piece he wants. Other members try to explain that everyone gets the same chance. The next step is to count all members in the chosen family, and there are five: the head, Bill, his wife, Tessie, and their children, Bill Jr., twelve-year-old Nancy, and little Dave. The boy needs additional help and explanation to complete the procedure. Each family member takes the slip and waits for all five to take one while Tessie continues admitting it is not fair.
When the time to get the result comes, Mr. Graves opens Dave’s paper and shows it is blank. Nancy and Bill Jr. are happy and beam as their papers are blank as well. Bill also has a blank slip, so it is Tessie who gets the “lucky” ticket with a black spot on it. The villagers do not want to waste their time and hurry up to continue the ritual. All of them have small stones in their hands, including children and little Dave. The crowd moves upon the woman, and the first stone hits her head. Mrs. Hutchinson continues screaming that it is neither right nor fair, but the movement can no longer be stopped.