The Lottery (Jackson)
Short summary
A small American village, June 27th. On a sunny summer morning, the villagers gathered in the town square for their annual lottery. The children collected stones while adults assembled by families. The lottery was conducted by a jovial man who ran the coal business.
He used an old black box containing slips of paper. The ritual had been simplified over the years, with much of the original ceremony forgotten. Each family head drew a paper from the box. When all had drawn, Bill Hutchinson's paper was marked. His wife arrived late to the lottery.
She immediately protested that the drawing wasn't fair. The Hutchinson family then had to draw again—Bill, his wife, and their three children. Tessie drew the paper with the black spot. The villagers picked up stones.
"It isn't fair, it isn't right," Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The gathering: villagers assemble for the annual lottery
On the morning of June 27th, the residents of a small village began gathering in the town square between the post office and the bank around ten o'clock. The village had only about three hundred people, so the entire lottery could be completed in less than two hours, allowing everyone to return home for noon dinner.
The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.
The children assembled first, as school had recently ended for the summer. The boys, including Bobby Martin, gathered stones, selecting the smoothest and roundest ones.
Together with other boys, he eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it. The girls stood aside talking among themselves, while very small children stayed close to their older siblings. Soon the men began to gather, discussing planting, rain, tractors and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones, and their jokes were quiet. The women came shortly after, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, greeting one another and exchanging gossip before joining their husbands. The women then began calling to their children, who came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times.
Preparation of the ritual: Mr. Summers and the black box
The lottery was conducted by Mr. Summers, who had time and energy to devote to civic activities.
When he arrived in the square carrying the black wooden box, there was a murmur of conversation among the villagers. Mr. Graves, the postmaster, followed him carrying a three-legged stool.
The stool was placed in the center of the square and Mr. Summers set the black box down on it. The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool. When Mr. Summers asked for help, there was a hesitation before two men came forward to hold the box steady while he stirred up the papers inside it. The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now in use had been put into service even before the oldest man in town was born. Mr. Summers spoke frequently about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box. Much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded. Mr. Summers had successfully substituted slips of paper for the chips of wood that had been used for generations.
The first drawing: Bill Hutchinsons family is selected
Just as Mr. Summers finally turned to the assembled villagers, Mrs. Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square.
She explained that she had forgotten what day it was and made her way through the crowd to her husband and children. Mr. Summers cheerfully noted that they had almost started without her. After some administrative matters, including confirming that Mrs. Dunbar would draw for her husband who had broken his leg, Mr. Summers cleared his throat and looked at the list.
He called the names of heads of families, and the men came up to take a paper out of the box, keeping it folded without looking at it. During the drawing, Mr. Adams mentioned to Old Man Warner that the north village was talking of giving up the lottery.
Used to be a saying about 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.'...There's always been a lottery...Pack of young fools.
After all the names were called, there was a long pause until Mr. Summers told everyone to open their papers. Suddenly voices began asking who had it, and then they began to say it was Bill Hutchinson.
Tessie Hutchinson shouted that Mr. Summers had not given her husband enough time to take any paper he wanted and that it was not fair. Bill Hutchinson told her to shut up.
The final drawing and stoning: Tessies fate
Mr. Summers explained that they now had to hurry to get done in time. He asked Bill how many children he had. Bill answered that there were three: Bill Jr., Nancy, and little Dave, plus Tessie and himself. Mr. Graves put five slips in the box. Mrs. Hutchinson continued to protest quietly that it was not fair. Mr. Summers directed the family members to take slips and keep them folded. Little Dave went first with Mr. Graves helping him, then Nancy, then Bill Jr., then Tessie, and finally Bill. The crowd was quiet as Mr. Summers told them to open the papers. Mr. Graves opened little Dave's slip and it was blank. Nancy and Bill Jr. opened theirs at the same time and both were blank. Bill unfolded his paper and showed it was blank.
Bill Hutchinson went over to his wife and forced the slip of paper out of her hand. It had a black spot on it, the black spot Mr. Summers had made the night before
Mr. Summers told everyone to finish quickly. Although the villagers had forgotten much of the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones. The pile of stones the boys had made earlier was ready. Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands.
The children had stones already, and someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles. Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her. A stone hit her on the side of the head. Old Man Warner was urging everyone to come on. Tessie screamed that it was not fair, it was not right, and then they were upon her.