The short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson depicts a small, quaint, seemingly average town with a barbaric tradition of holding an annual lottery to choose a random person to be stoned to death.
The true meaning of the lottery is withheld from the reader until the very end of the story. We learn about the rules, traditions, and customs of the lottery but we do not find out its purpose until the first stone is thrown at the year's "winner". While the ending is shocking, I can't say that I was surprised by it because I had heard about the ending of this story prior to reading it. I do think, though, that if I had read it with no background knowledge that the ending would have been unexpected.
The story's ending is foreshadowed throughout the story, especially in paragraphs two and three. When the kids gather in the town square, they begin gathering stones for an unexplained purpose. A few of the boys make "a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and [guard] it against the raids of the other boys" (para 2). The way in which the narrator describes this process makes it seem as if it is no more than a children's game, with groups of boys trying to collect the most rocks. Once the ending is revealed, though, this "game" takes on a grim meaning. After the children, the men of the town arrive and begin to engage in casual conversations, discussing "planting and rain, tractors and taxes" (para 3). But, "their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed" (para 3), suggesting that the atmosphere is tense and it is most definitely not just an average day. Something worrying is on their minds.
On the other hand, the author also uses language that makes it seem as if the lottery is really just an innocent community pastime. One example of this is in paragraph 4, when the event is being described. "The lottery was conducted - as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program - by Mr. Summers". By grouping the lottery with other, normal events, the lottery is made to seem as if there is nothing sinister about it. When Mrs. Hutchinson arrives in the town square after forgetting what day it was, she and Mrs. Delacroix converse in a casual tone, laughing softly about her tardiness. "'...and then I looked out the window and the kids was gone, and then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and came a-running." (para 8) She shows no worry for what might happen to her or her family, and treats the lottery as if it was simply a casual event penciled into her calendar that she forgot about. Another example of the author trying to mask the event's true cruelty is when Mr. Summers notices that Mrs. Hutchinson is late and engages in playful banter with her. "Mr. Summers, who had been waiting, said cheerfully, "Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie." Mrs. Hutchinson said, grinning, "Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink, now, would you, Joe?," and soft laughter ran thought the crowd..." (para 9) The crowd is amused by this conversation, even though they are about to partake in something incredibly brutal.
The relaxed tone in which the lottery is described shows how this ritual is truly ingrained into their society. It is a tradition that they have grown used to. It causes them to view this communal murder as normal, even necessary. However, this only increases the reader's shock when they read the ending and learn the true meaning of this disturbing tradition.
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