Recalling

1. On which day does the lottery fall each year? June 27th
2. Why did Mr. Summers replace the original wood chips with slips of paper? As the population of the town grows,
the black box couldn’t hold the wooden chips any longer. Slips of paper take up less room.
3. Who shows up late to the lottery? Mrs. Hutchinson (or Tessie)
4. Why is this character late? She forgot what day it was.
5. Who is not in attendance? Dunbar (or Clyde Dunbar)
6. Why is this character absent? He broke his leg.
7. What is the procedure for someone who cannot attend? A male member of the family (son) over the age of 16
draws; when there is not a grown male to do the drawing, the wife draws for the husband.
Analyzing & Applying
8. Which part of the story foreshadows the lottery? In the second paragraph, the boys gathering the stones
foreshadow the “lottery” or stoning.
9. How is irony used in the story? The title represents a good image: winning the lottery symbolizes a financial
windfall. However, winning this lottery means losing your life. The bright, sunny, cheerful day also signifies a
happy event.
10. Symbolism: What do the black box and stones represent? Both represent the ancient, outdated rituals and
traditions humans participate in.
11. Why do the townspeople participate in the lottery? It’s a tradition, a yearly ritual to ensure a good harvest.
12. Why don’t they stop having it? They may be afraid of changing the tradition since it has always taken place;
fear that they will not have a good harvest.
13. Name other cultures that participate(d) in sacrificial rituals. Answers will vary; some possibilities include:
Mayans, Aztecs. Ancient Greek/Romans, etc.
14. For what reason(s) did/do these cultures sacrifice humans or animals? Answers may vary; possibilities include:
to produce sustenance (provided by the gods), atonement (forgiveness for their sins or wrongs), as religious
rituals, to sacrifice themselves so others can live (can lead into a discussion about our military and how soldiers
will sacrifice themselves for others/their country), etc.
15. There are certain traditions in our town and other places that happen year after year. Think of a particular
event (or festival) that happens each year. What would happen if someone decided to stop having it each year?
Answers will vary.
16. Why are people afraid of change? Answers will vary.
17. What role do women play in the fictional town? It is a patriarchal society: men are in control and women
are subordinate to them. This is shown by the rule that the men or a grown boy draw for the family, when Bill
Hutchinson snaps at his wife (to put her in her “place,” so to speak), and a woman being chosen as the victim.
18. Shirley Jackson said she had the setting in the present tense (she wrote it in 1948) in order to “shock the
readers with a graphic dramatization of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives.”
What “pointless violence” and “general inhumanity” is she referring to? The Holocaust/World War II/atomic
bomb
19. Consider her statement in #18 and your response to it. Then answer: What is the message of the story (or
the lesson learned by reading the story)? Answers will vary. Possibilities include: That people will keep doing
things--even when they are wrong--so they can uphold ancient rituals; society wrongfully designates scapegoats
to bear the sins of others; going along with the crowd has disastrous consequences; human nature is to solve
problems via killing. The author’s connection with world events of the time reflect these themes: Hitler was able
to convince German citizens that Jews were evil; many who may have disagreed still went along with the crowd;
we solve our problems through fighting (war) and killing one another in the real world, rather than negotiations
and peace talks. A further discussion can be: how much money do we spend on making weapons and defense
compared to educating our youth on peaceful/non-violent means of communication?
20. Did you like this story? Answers will vary.
21. Explain--with specific reasons--why you did or why you didn’t like this story. Answers will vary.

#18 source of Jackson’s quote: From a response in the San Francisco Journal, July 22, 1948