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Her husband, Bill Hutchinson, draws the lottery slip with a black mark on it. This means each person in the Hutchinson household is eligible to win the lottery. However, it soon becomes clear that this lottery is one where no-one wants to be the winner. The situation quickly changes and Tessie begins arguing that the drawing was unfair. Things progress quickly after that. All five of members of the Hutchinson family, aside from their eldest daughter, Eva, who had married and was therefore considered to be part of another household, now draw again. When Tessie unfolds her piece of paper a black spot is found. This black spot indicates that Tessie has won the lottery. As the ‘winner’ of the lottery she is stoned to death by her friends, neighbours and family
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It gradually becomes clear that this is not an ordinary lottery and the author uses several situations to express this. As the men gather, they do not approach the pile of stones that the boys in the village have been gathering. It almost feels like no-one wants to be involved in the drawing process because when Mr. Summers arrives with his stool, the villagers keep a distance between themselves and the drawing box. There is also no-one who wishes to help hold the box still while Mr. Summers mixes the papers. Once the drawing begins, and Mr. Adams, the first villager to draw from the box steps forward, the atmosphere is very tense. As the drawing continues, those who have already chosen a paper turn them over and over in their hands, a sign of discomfort and nervousness. When Bill Hutchinson he has drawn the paper with the black mark on it he just stands and stares down at the paper in his hand rather than being pleased he has won the lottery. Once Tessie Hutchinson becomes angry and panicked it is clear that there is no victory involved. The way the author withholds information about the lottery from the reader until the very end of the story is a technique which moves the omniscient narrative forward. It’s the intrigue encouraging the reader to reach the end of the
It gradually becomes clear that this is not an ordinary lottery and the author uses several situations to express this. As the men gather, they do not approach the pile of stones that the boys in the village have been gathering. It almost feels like no-one wants to be involved in the drawing process because when Mr. Summers arrives with his stool, the villagers keep a distance between themselves and the drawing box. There is also no-one who wishes to help hold the box still while Mr. Summers mixes the papers. Once the drawing begins, and Mr. Adams, the first villager to draw from the box steps forward, the atmosphere is very tense. As the drawing continues, those who have already chosen a paper turn them over and over in their hands, a sign of discomfort and nervousness. When Bill Hutchinson he has drawn the paper with the black mark on it he just stands and stares down at the paper in his hand rather than being pleased he has won the lottery. Once Tessie Hutchinson becomes angry and panicked it is clear that there is no victory involved. The way the author withholds information about the lottery from the reader until the very end of the story is a technique which moves the omniscient narrative forward. It’s the intrigue encouraging the reader to reach the end of the