THE LOTTERY SUMMARY by: SHIRLEY JACKSON

This story is talking about a lottery which happens in a certain village in the clear and sunny morning of June 27^th. This is always been done each year in 27^th of June. The lottery or actually it describes a ritual of stoning to the one who is being chosen by the slip of paper. The papers themselves are being made and prepared by the official of the lottery, who is called as Mr. Summers. He put a black spot of pencil on one of them. The one who gets the paper with a black spot on it, then she or he is considered as the next victim to be stoned to death by the whole community in that village.

This kind of ritual has been being believed by the whole society, because if they give up from doing this then they won’t be able to get a heavy harvest time. So there must be someone to be sacrificed for the sake of a good harvest’s result.

The lottery system is to take a folded paper inside a black box by every heads of families. They should not open the slip of the paper until it is being told so. Until then, the one of the heads of families who gets the paper with a black spot on it will take a turn of choosing a lottery again but this time is with the whole of the family members. The victim in this story is characterized by a woman named Tessie Hutchinson, who is coming late to the ritual. She comes right after the official of the lottery begins to start the lottery.

Bill Hutchinson comes first with the black spotted paper, and then followed by the whole family to take their turns one by one. Finally the black spotted paper is taken by Tessie Hutchinson. She tries to runaway with the reason that the choosing lottery has been done unfairly. But still, the whole society keeps on moving towards her and throws the stones and pebbles, which are being collected and prepared by the children right before the ritual is begun.