On the Lottery

On The Lottery

Lottery is familiar to us all, especially for those who dream of being millionaires overnight. Therefore, at the glance of the title of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, an American writer, I imagine the end of the story is that the character wins five million dollars' worth of lottery although he or she experiences a vicissitude of life after that event. But when I, with enough patience, read through it to the end, a chill of horror sweeps across me. I can't believe my eye, however, several times of intensive reading convinces me of the fact in the story winning the lottery for a villager is getting a "chance" to be stoned to death.

The story uncovers the underlying evil in human nature. Faced with the death lottery, villagers show cold blood selfishness and indifference to others. Even the kinship between parents and their children is smashed by the hammer of evil spirit. This is proved by the responses from members of  the Hutchinson family when they finally see the content of their slips of paper. "Nancy and Bill. Jr.. opened theirs at the same time. and both beamed and laughed. turning around to the crowd and holding their slips of paper above their heads." The girl and the boy, who should be old enough to understand love and caring for their parents, are celebrating their luck without any sorrow for losing either of their parents. Knowing his wife got the lottery, Mr. Hutchinson, following Mr. Summers' instruction, forced his wife to produce the slip of paper with a black spot on it and held it up. What he does is like what a policeman does at the court.

Why do villagers treat one another like blood cold animals once the result of the lottery is announced? The tradition, the custom and the belief of fate that controls men's lives, generation after generation. The ritual routine, the shabbier black box, the slips of paper, only one marked black point, have lasted for hundreds of years or may be a thousand. All these have been streamlined to...