The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Jackson's story uses the holding of a public lottery to present a poignant perspective on our idea of tradition and culture. How does this story incorporate the plot twist to urge us to think about society?

There was definite twist in the story in which at first it was something that I didn't expect. When your reading the story in the beginning the author gives you a sense of warmness and happiness.. The trees are blooming and the weather is just perfect. The title”Lottery" in our society is actually something good. It's a prize you gain if you guess right, It's a game of chance. In the story it’s definitely the opposite. Something in which no one wants and wishes for it to end and not be chosen.

But nothing is done and nothing wants to be changed because it has been going down for centuries and everyone in this small town has gotten use to. But when they are chosen that's when they speak up and try to fight it. In this story it's basically the chance to live. Either you choose a blank paper or one with a black dot. The minute you get the one with the black dot your life is over. You’re attacked with stones and beaten to death. At first we're not really introduced to the main charachter but towards the end you can more or less pick her out the crowd.

Her husband has picked out a paper with the black dot and upset and what is to come she starts to speak up and call it an unfair draw. Another chance is given to the whole family and at the end she gets the paper and killed. What I really didn't like was how she tried to help out her husband and he didn't do anything to prevent from happening. Even her own kids beat her with stones.