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Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Book Review ~ The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

 




We start off with seeing the children of the town gathering up rocks and putting them in a pile in the town square then other characters come out of their homes talking about the day's plans ahead and just going about like any other day. We see the grocer come out of his store and another man pulls up in his pickup truck. Soon many gathers in the square and the mothers round up the children and gather them to themselves. Then we meet the town mayor carrying a big black box and set it up in the center of the town square. They discuss starting soon and he calls out to some of the folks asking if someone is there to draw for them. Papers were placed in the box and soon they begin. It's the men of the household's names who are called unless they are not there then the oldest boy or the woman herself.  Soon everyone has been called and holds a folded piece of paper in their hands. The Mayer permits them to open their papers. Then at last we hear a woman called Tessie cry that it's not fair, that her husband wasn't given enough time to draw his paper. She continues crying as her husband and children are called forward and she too joins them, still outcrying. 

Three pieces of paper are then placed in the box and the one the husband is holding is refolded and placed in the box. They first call on the little boy, he pulls a paper out and stands next to the officer and then Nancy the daughter is called next and she chooses her paper, then the father, and finally, and reluctantly Tessie pulls her paper. They are then asked to open their papers. The little boy and Nancy open theirs and see they are blank. Then the father, his too is blank which leaves Tessie who again cries that it's not fair and her husband helps her to open her paper which reveals a large black dot. Then we see the townspeople gathering stones and Tessie begins to cower from them and soon someone throws a stone at her head and everyone soon throws their stones until she breathes no more. 

This story is so well crafted, you are left wondering what they could be gathering for and you have some foreshadowing but are never told until the very end. To the reader, it seems an ordinary day and perhaps they are gathering for a town picnic but no it is something far more sinister. We soon learn that one child, youth, or adult has been marked for death and all the townsfolk take part in the lottery. Some towns did away with their lotteries but not this little town it holds strong to its tradition. There are many themes throughout this tale and one that stands out is everything seems fine until it happens to you or your family. How many times have we as children or adults gossiped or made fun of someone and joined in while others made fun of another and saw nothing wrong with it, that is until we were the one being made fun of? So, to Tessie at first, this is just a normal part of her life, it's OK until she is the one chosen. Then it is all of a sudden unfair. Also, another theme that arises is it's OK to go along with it because this will never happen to me, it's that mentality that it won't happen to me. But when it does then again, it all of a sudden becomes dreadfully unfair. 

A chilling and thought-provoking tale on so many levels! 



 





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