This is another example of the rigidness of the townspeople when it comes to their old traditions, as well as beginning to show that the lottery isn’t exactly a positive event, as many towns are dropping it. Next, the Hutchinson family is called, meaning that either Mr. or Mrs. Hutchinson or one of their three children will be the winner of the lottery. Mrs. Hutchinson immediately protests, adding to the mystery of the lottery. Considering that most people would be thrilled to be the winner of the lottery, this scene is another indication that the lottery is anything but good. One by one, the Hutchinsons revealed their slips of papers that they drew to determine the winner, and each person that holds a blank shows great relief.
She arrived late claiming she did not remember what day it was and later jokes with her husband about being late. Her attitude makes the reader feel as if this dreadful ritual was just a common event that no one minds. Later in the story the reader finds out that her family has “won”. At this point her attitude change completely. She began to complain by saying: "You didn 't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted.
It’s cruel that the people of the town would hope that the families who had already lost a member be chosen once again. Tessie’s cheerful personality about the lottery finally vanishes once she realizes that her husband had picked the paper with the dot (Jackson 375). Only now does the lottery seem unfair to her; it is also where the reader realizes what a terrible, selfish person Tessie is. First, Tessie claims that Mr. Summers hadn’t given Mr. Hutchinson enough time to choose (Jackson 375). Then, as Yarmove writes, Tessie shows her deceitful side when she tries to make her two married daughters partake in the next draw so that she will have a better change to survive (2).
(Jackson 78). Naturally, the rest of the self-centered people urge her to "[b]e a good sport"(Jackson 78). The most disturbing event in the entire story is when Tessie tries to get her older daughters to be part of the final picking, and is dissapointed when she is told that they are only drawn with their husbands. The lottery proceeds and Tessie is stoned to death by her fellow neighbors. Shirley Jackson wants us to float along with her upbeat story and be completely appalled in the end at the total loss of human decency.
The people of the town are happy and going on as if it is every other day. The situation where Mrs. Hutchinson is jokingly saying to Mrs. Delacroix "Clean forgot what day it was"(311) is ironic because something that is so awful cannot truly be forgotten. At the end of the story when Mrs. Hutchinson is chosen for the lottery, it is ironic that it does not upset her that she was chosen. She is upset because of the way she is chosen. She shows this by saying "It isn't fair, it isn't right" (316).
Of the stalls that remained open, he visited one where the owner, and English woman, “seemed to have spoken to me out of a sense of duty” (Joyce 89) and he knows he will not be able to buy anything for her. He decides to just go home, realizing he is “a creature driven and derided with vanity” (Joyce 90). He is angry with himself and embarrassed as he... ... middle of paper ... ... prove how romantic gestures become obsolete as time progresses. As shown above, Sammy and the boy went to great lengths to impress the girls. However, their quest failed simply because it did not matter to the girls.
Mrs. Hutchinson was careless and unthoughtful to the event till she was the victim of the lottery and kept saying “it wasn’t fair “You didn’t give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn’t fair!”” (Jackson 294). Even though every one of them took the same chance and it was a matter of luck. Her family was not caring enough that the mother of their family was going to be stoned to death and all of them participated even her little son have been given some pebbles to him to participate.
She showed up late to the lottery which makes it seem like it is not important to her, she later shows she doesn’t take it seriously when she shoves her husband and tells him not to be nervous when selecting his card from the box. After everybody opens their card and it is revealed that her husband has open the one with the black dot, Tessie reacts in a very different way than before. “Tessie Hutchinson shouted to Mr. Summers. "You didn 't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you.
Mrs. Hutchinson is presented as a blind follower of old tradition, a strong rebellious character and a selfish and careless person in the society. At the beginning of a story, Jackson presents Mrs. Hutchinson a devotee to the old tradition. When Mrs. Hutchinson comes hurriedly to participate in the lottery, she seems very excited. When she arrived little late and said, “Clean forgot what day it was”, the people nearby her laughed softly (Jackson 904-905). Even though she didn’t arrive at the lottery holding place on time she couldn’t reject or unfollow the tradition.
The fact that the people gather and discuss everyday issue prior to the start of the lottery all point to the blind tradition of selecting some to be stoned to death. The author also points out in her story that no one knew when or why the tradition of the lottery began. Even not knowing Tessie Hutchinson, at first had no issues with the annual event. It was only when she “won” the lottery that she developed the point of view that was bias or judgmental. Mrs. Hutchinson protests the process of the lottery and the town’s methods, “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right” Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.” (Kennedy & Gioia, 2013, pp.