The Lottery

"Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones." page 271


1. What is a "lottery"? How does the title lead you to expect something very different from what the story presents?


A lottery is a chance in which a person could win or lose. Winning a lottery usually has a positive connotation because it means a lot of money is won. Reading the title of the story makes it look like a prize is going to be won. The entire village comes to the lottery and everyone takes it seriously. It is ironic that the winner of the lottery actually loses their life. However, after reading the ending, the things that happen earlier in the story begin to make sense. The boys made a pile of stones in order to prepare for the stoning. Mr. Adams mentioning that some villages had stopped doing the lottery showed that people were apprehensive about continuing it, meaning winning the lottery wasn't a good thing. Tessie complaining when her husband "won" the lottery also foreshadowed that something bad happened to the winner of the lottery.