The Lottery

When Jackson describes the black box being brought in, the box where the family names are drawn, she teases the reader with yet another subtle clue. The black box is set in the center of the square as the villagers all watch carefully. "The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool, and when Mr. Summers said, 'Some of you fellows want to give me a hand?' there was a hesitation…"(451). This implies that the villagers are all very questionable of their actions at this annual event. It seems as though the event is innocent; simply something that occurs every year on June 27th, but suddenly skepticism is apparent as the crowd hesitates once the black box is brought to the gathering.

The chaos of the event starts to take place as Mr. Summers, who conducts the lottery each year, begins to make up the lists of family members and to which household each village member belongs. The several lists being double-checked causes the reader to question what the lists function is for this annual event. This presents another hint that there is suspicion in the event about to take place, but once again this feeling is calmed when Jackson includes "…the proper swearing-in of Mr. Summers…"(452). This event turns an odd loop in the story because the swearing in of an official leads the reader to conclude that everything in the story is legitimate and there is nothing unusual about the event taking place. It is this statement which relieves the reader, but at the same time, confuses them because there are so many other clues already installed in the story earlier to point to something suspicious.

After Mr. Summers is all settled in with his tasks for the morning, the village crowd turns to silence. Mr. Summers announces, "Now I'll read the names-heads of families first-and the men come up and take a paper out of the box" (453). The whole procedure of "The Lottery" has just