The Lottery
Uploaded by Admin on Nov 27, 1999
At the end of "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, Tessie Hutchinson said, "It isn't fair." Tessie was correct; the lottery wasn't fair. Death wasn't fair, especially if you were the sacrificial lamb for the sake of tradition.
"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon," took many innocent lives each year since the first settlers. Unfortunately, the Hutchinson family was facing this dilemma. They knew that one of their members would be sacrificed by the villagers for harvest. Sadly Tessie was stoned to death. The lottery was a primitive tradition that many of its rituals were forgotten. These rituals were discarded by the mass population. The mind set of the villagers was changing but not enough to upset tradition of the lottery.
The lottery wasn't fair but it was conducted fairly. It was held on the same date annually since the beginning. The formalities had slightly altered but procedured remained standard. Everyone in the village took the same chance. Tessie finally saw the unfairness of the lottery because death was knocking at the door. She saw it through desperate eyes.