Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery” uses specific word choice to convey an ambiguous tone. In “The Lottery” we are introduced to the Hutchinson kids, Bill and Nancy, they are told to step forward and grab a paper from the old box to see if they would win the lottery . They then wait patiently into told to open it. Jackson illustrates her use of word choices “beamed” and “laughed” in the hutchinson kids action when they open their paper “ Nancy and Bill Jr..,opened theirs at the same time and both beamed and laughed turning around to the crowed and holding their slips of paper above their heads”(33)(lines 96-98). This clarifies when Bill and Nancy opened their paper and found it blank there actions proved that they were glad to not
