In a lottery, participants purchase tickets with numbers that correspond to various prizes. Prizes can be cash or goods. Typically, the organizer of a lottery deducts costs for organizing and promoting it from the total pool of tickets sold. A percentage of the remaining pool goes as revenues and profits, and the remainder is available to winners. Some cultures also require a percentage of ticket sales to go toward charitable organizations and the poor.
In the story “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson examines themes like blind conformity and societal prejudice through an annual village ritual. Her depiction of this event underscores the existence of hidden darkness in seemingly peaceful places and people. It also encourages readers to reevaluate traditions and customs that perpetuate injustice or harm.
The story begins with Mr. Summers, the authority figure of the village, introducing the lottery to the residents. He carries out a black box and stirs up the papers inside it. The villagers are all excited to participate in this tradition and do not give much thought to the potential consequences of winning.
The villagers then begin to select their numbers, each selecting five from one to seven. The first number to be drawn wins the jackpot prize, while the last number is chosen for a smaller prize. It is important to note that no single set of numbers is luckier than any other, and a group of six random numbers has the same odds of winning as a group of three.