First, the heads of the extended families each draw one slip from the box, but they do not unfold them until all the slips have been drawn.

in order to have everything done in time for lunch. Upon the morning of the lottery, the townspeople gather shortly before 10 a.m. Summers' office until the lottery is scheduled to begin. The slips are folded and placed in an old, black wooden box, which is stored in a safe at Mr. All slips are blank except one, which is later revealed to be marked with a black dot. Graves drawing up a list of all the extended families in town and preparing one paper slip per family. The lottery preparations start the night before, with coal merchant Mr. Some in the village respond that the lottery has always been conducted, and should continue. Children pile up stones as the adults assemble for their annual event, which is apparently practiced to ensure a good harvest Old Man Warner quotes an old proverb, 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.' However, some nearby villages have already discontinued the lottery, and rumors are spreading that others are considering doing the same. In a small, unnamed village of about 300 residents, the locals are in an excited yet nervous mood on June 27. Plot ĭetails of contemporary small-town American life are embroidered upon a description of an annual rite known as 'the lottery'.

It has been subjected to considerable sociological and literary analysis, and has been described as one of the most famous short stories in the history of American literature. The story has been dramatized several times, including as a radio drama, film, and graphic novel. The Union of South Africa banned the story because some parts of Africa still used stoning as a punishment. Jackson and The New Yorker were both surprised by the initial negative response from readers subscriptions were canceled and much hate mail was sent throughout the summer of its first publication, with Jackson receiving at least 10 letters per day. The lottery, its preparations, and its execution are all described in detail, though what actually happens to the selected person is not revealed until the end. The story describes a fictional small American community which observes an annual tradition known as 'the lottery', in which a member of the community is selected by chance and stoned to death to ensure a good harvest and purge the town of bad omens.

' The Lottery' is a short story by Shirley Jackson that was first published in The New Yorker on June 26, 1948. For other uses, see Lottery (disambiguation).

The lottery short story summary