The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, is about a small-minded village that savors on tradition. The town holds a lottery once a year where all the families gather around in a big crowd in the Village Square. The lottery is conducted by Mr. Summers, a man who often leads the town's activities such as square dances, Halloween parties, charities, etc. In the crowd, wives gabber about the daily gossip. Fathers chat about tractors, crops, and taxes, while the kids playfully gather small smooth stones, piling them in a clearing behind the crowd.
             Mr. Summers calls their attention to get the lottery started, and the scattered family members hurry about and find each other. Mr. Summers brings out an old black box that has been used for the lottery even before Old Man Warner (the oldest man in town) was born. Back in the days when the village was a lot smaller, pieces of wood chips were used to put in the box. However, since the village ws growing, they discovered to use paper slips instead. Mr. Summers mixed up the paper slips in the box with his hand while reciting some long ritual that had been used ever since the lottery was founded. During the recital, kids looked innocently about, the voice of people talking was kept at a low whisper, but the majority held their tongue with heavy nervous thoughts on their mind. Finally, Mr. Summers started calling out each family's name that lived in the village, having the head of each family put their hand in the box and tightly grab a slip of paper which was not to be opned until each family had received their slips. Once the papers were distributed, the families opened their slips. An uproar of questions about whom had "gotten it" came swiftly through the crowd. In a matter of minutes, it was found that the Hutchinson family picked the plain white slip with the coal-black dot drawn in the center.
             A burst of objection came from Terri Hutchinson (the wif
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