From the perspective of a Utilitarian, the characters in The Lottery would be regarded as ethical in carrying out their ritualistic sacrifice, assuming what Old Man Warner said is true. After hearing dispute of the lottery’s necessity and Mr. Adams proclaiming that “the North village (is) talking of giving up the lottery, Warner retorts that they’re a “pack of crazy fools.” Warner later states that if there is “a lottery in June, corn be heavy soon”, hinting at the value of the macabre ceremony. To a Utilitarian, morality is defined as how it pertains to the common gain of happiness, pleasure, advantage, and the like, or, how it retracts pain, evil, or unhappiness from the members of the community. Utility is seen as the sum of all pleasures
