What is the Lottery?
The Lottery is a short story written by Shirley Jackson, an American gothic horror fiction author best known for her tale of grotesque prejudice hidden in the everyday. The story takes place in a small town and revolves around an annual tradition where residents participate in the lottery to select one of their fellow townspeople for stoning. Its main theme is the blind following of outdated traditions and rituals that are ultimately destructive to humankind.
The word “lottery” refers to any competition whose prizes are awarded solely on the basis of chance, excluding contests with successive stages that require a high degree of skill or knowledge. The term has long been used to describe games of chance such as the distribution of items of unequal value at dinner parties during the Roman Empire, where winnings were often presented in the form of fancy plates or other dinnerware.
Modern lotteries are characterized by a random drawing of numbers that determine winners and the prize amount. Some lotteries allow players to select their own numbers, while others provide a box or section on the playslip for participants to mark to indicate that they will accept whatever set of numbers is randomly selected for them.
The lottery is a popular form of taxation and raises funds for a wide range of public usages, including public schools, roads, hospitals and prisons. The first state lottery in the United States was established by George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin supported the use of the lottery to pay for cannons during the Revolutionary War. In Canada, buying a ticket on the Irish Sweepstakes was illegal until 1967 when the Canadian government introduced an amendment to bring the law up to date.
The Lottery is a short story written by Shirley Jackson, an American gothic horror fiction author best known for her tale of grotesque prejudice hidden in the everyday. The story takes place in a small town and revolves around an annual tradition where residents participate in the lottery to select one of their fellow townspeople…