The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
A lottery is an arrangement by which prizes are allocated to people by a process that relies wholly on chance. Prizes may be cash, goods, or services. The organizers of a lottery must make arrangements to collect, pool, and distribute the money paid by participants as stakes in order to pay winners. A percentage of the total stakes is normally deducted to cover expenses and profits, and a smaller percentage must be set aside as the prize pool.
There are many ways to interpret the story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, but one significant undertone is that of social oppression and how easily people can be manipulated. The fact that the villagers are so willing to follow the lottery suggests that they have lost sight of their own individuality, and that they do not have the courage or self-respect to stand up against injustice. Another undertone is that of the tyranny of tradition. This is seen most clearly in the way that the villagers treat Tessie Hutchinson, who cries out that the lottery wasn’t fair. The fact that everyone else in the village supports the lottery, even when it will result in someone’s death, illustrates how powerful tradition can be.
The story also hints at sexism. There is little or no affection shown among the villagers, and they all appear to see each other as mere objects of their desire for wealth. Tessie’s children are especially uncaring, as they grin and laugh when she draws her unfortunate number and will have to stone her. This is a harsh reminder that families do not necessarily have an emotional bond, and that they are often only interested in their own needs.
Although the narrator describes the town as a peaceful place, it is clear that the people there are not content with their lives. They spend most of their time worrying about mundane matters, such as planting and rain, tractors and taxes. The lottery is just another activity to fill their social calendars, along with square dances and the teenage club.
Lottery is a game of chance, and the odds of winning are very low. However, some players believe that they can increase their odds by playing more frequently or by betting larger amounts. Unfortunately, these tactics do not improve your chances of winning. Instead, it increases the amount of money you are spending on tickets and increases your exposure to bad luck.
Despite the negative aspects of lotteries, they are popular. The main reason is that state governments can use the money from lotteries to fund a wide variety of programs without having to raise taxes on middle-class and working class citizens. However, there are some important issues with the way that lotteries are promoted and regulated. The biggest issue is that they can give people the false impression that they are doing something good for their state by purchasing a ticket. However, most states only receive about a third of the proceeds from lotteries.
