The Lottery

1.        

a.       No, I wasn’t surprised. I got suspicious when they gathered the stones, and no one wanted the paper with the dot.

b.      Everyone is hesitant when it comes to the lottery, they keep their distance because they’re afraid

c.       She categorizes the lottery with square dances, the teen club, and the Halloween program

2.        In a small village of a few hundred people. It means more here because everyone knows everyone else. One person being taken away affects the entire village.

3.       Everyone seems to have different viewpoints and ways of thinking about the lottery. She is selected because she is the most reluctant and does the most complaining as it is being conducted.

4.       Because a lottery usually indicates the “winner” as someone who is gaining, not losing. However, in this scenario, the “winner” actually loses the most out of anyone

5.       Graves – Grave could also be a symbol for death

a.       Summers – Summer is thought of as a happy and carefree time typically

b.       Hutchinson – protestor because Anne Hutchinson was a famous protestor

c.       Delacroix – Name means the “cross” (which stands for religious turmoil)

6.        

7.       Dark, old, raggedy, and worn down. The box is in bad shape. The slip is sort of makeshift and not very sophisticated by any means. They are both run down and need to be replaced, which could also stand for the lottery in general. It is old and it is unnecessary.

8.       The writer didn’t seem to be for the lottery or the stoning. She talks about how other places are getting away from it and makes that seem like a good idea

9.       It could represent the Holocaust

The Lottery explains a lot about our human nature. It does say a lot that in this story, most people have different viewpoints. No two people think exactly alike, which is a lot like we are today. Another striking similarity is that we get stuck in our habits. Everyone in that village knows that they don’t have any logical reason for the lottery, other than “tradition”. None of them would have a good answer or good reason to why they conduct the lottery each year, but they continue to do it anyways without asking questions. Another way that it relates to today is that we take violence lightly. Today, violence is just a part of our lives. There are hundreds and hundreds of murders each and every day, and no one even bats an eye. It is normal, just like it is in the Lottery. It almost doesn’t even have an effect on them, because they are so used to it. In general, we humans just get too caught up in our old ways, and we refuse to change even though change is what’s best for us. This story is from way back in 1948, but a lot of it still applies to our life today.