A Lottery in a Small Town
A lottery is a form of gambling in which a winner is chosen by drawing lots. In the United States, state lotteries are booming, with Americans spending an estimated $100 billion each year on tickets. But lotteries didn’t always have such a positive image, and their history is full of both rocky and rosy moments.
A Lottery in a Small Town
The story “The Lottery” takes place in the unnamed village of the story, where a middle-aged housewife named Tessie is about to take part in a traditional annual event that is supposed to ensure a good harvest. The villagers gather at the edge of the village green for the event, which is presided over by Old Man Warner. The head of each family draws a slip of paper from a box, and one of these is marked with a black spot. If the head of a household draws this slip, he or she must stone the person who is to be killed to death.
Tessie is the last person to draw her slip, but she protests that she is innocent. Her husband Bill insists that she is not, but he lets her go. Tessie is terrified, but she tries to calm herself by saying that she knows she’ll be all right. She is a good wife and a good mother, and she’s a member of the community.
At the end of the story, she’s thrown in with the others for the stoning. But, as a victim of the lottery, she’s just another face in a crowd of stoning faces. Tessie’s death reminds us that it is a human thing to mistreat other people, whether in conformity with cultural beliefs and practices or for other reasons.
When it comes to gambling, some people are more likely to spend money on a ticket than others. For example, some people like to play the lottery for the entertainment value it offers or because they believe that the odds of winning are higher than for other games, such as sports.
In the case of state lotteries, many people feel that it is a reasonable use of taxpayer dollars, since the revenue collected supports important government services. Some people also feel that it is an effective way to raise funds for charitable causes. However, the success of a lottery depends on the perception of fairness in the selection process. Some states have tried to improve the perceived fairness of their lotteries by using a random number generator and allowing the public to participate in the selection process. However, these efforts are not foolproof.