The Lottery

Almost every small community has a day designated for the people to join together that will take place annually. For example, when I lived in Troy Idaho, every year the community would have a big get together called Troy Days, and when I live in Turner Oregon, the community would have a get together called the Lamb Festival. In “The Lottery” they would annually get together to have a “Lottery” or a Stoning.

Although now day’s communities have a fun and good get together, it is similar to the Stoning process. In “The Lottery” the community gathered in one area and made an event out of it where their community would get together. I think the stoning process may symbolize that although communities get together, there is still tension or conflict that takes place within every community, and that a lot of the time one person is singled out within the conflict. For example, in the story every year they draw paper to kill one person in the end, and it is normal. We know that it is normal for “The Lottery” community since it does take place every year, but also from what some of the members say. For example, the old man who keeps complaining that he has experienced this for 70 years, and also the head person saying that they just needed to get on with the process so they can get back to doing their work. A good example for today’s people would be, in almost every friend group there is that one person that group gangs up on and basically makes fun of and tortures. I think almost every group can relate to this, and knows exactly what I am talking about.