The Lottery
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The Lottery is a short story by Shirley Jackson first published in 1948.
Plot
Set in a small, rural town, each year the citizens continue a tradition of an annual "lottery" designed to bring good fortune to the area crops. Even though nearby towns have discontinued the practice, the town values tradition and refuses to end it.
However, the "winner" of the lottery is, in fact, the loser: s/he is stoned to death by his/her fellow citizens.[1] The story ends with that year's winner begging to be spared her fate, claiming that "it's not fair, it's not right".
References
Sources
- Voth, Lori (2005-11-21), Analysis of "The Lottery", a Short Story by Shirley Jackson, Associated Content retrieved on 2008-01-21