The Lottery Shirley Jackson

(1) The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, the flowers were blossoming profusely and the
grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, around ten
o’clock, in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be
started on June 20th, but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the
whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o’clock in the morning and still be
through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner
.
(2) The children assembled first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, they tended
to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play, and their talk was
still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands. Bobby Martin had already
stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the
smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix—the villagers
pronounced this name “Dellacroy”—eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the
square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys. The girls stood aside, talking among
themselves, looking over their shoulders at the boys, and the very small children rolled in the dust
or clung to the hands of their older brothers or sisters.

(3) Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain,
tractors and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes
were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed. The women, wearing faded house dresses and
sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk. They greeted one another and exchanged bits of
gossip as they went to join their husbands. Soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to
call to their children, and the children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times.
Bobby Martin ducked under his mother’s grasping hand and ran, laughing, back to the pile of
stones. His father spoke up sharply, and Bobby came quickly and took his place between his
father and his oldest brother.

(4) The lottery was conducted. When he arrived in the square, carrying the black wooden box,
there was a murmur of conversation among the villagers, and he waved and called. “Little late
today, folks. ” The postmaster, Mr. Graves, followed him, carrying a stool, and the stool was put
in the center of the square and Mr. Summers set the black box down on it. The villagers kept
their distance,
and when Mr. Summers said, “Some of you fellows want to give me a hand?”

(5) The original box for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the
stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born. Mr.
Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset
even as much tradition as was represented by the black box. There was a story that the present
box had been made with some pieces of the box that had preceded it. Every year, after the
lottery,. The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but
splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or
stained.

(6) Mr. Martin and his oldest son, held the black box securely on the stool until Mr. Summers had
stirred the papers with his hand. Because so much of the ritual had been forgotten, Mr. Summers
had been successful in having slips of paper substituted for the chips of wood that had been used
for generations. Mr. Summers had argued, had been all very well when the village was tiny, but
now that the population was more than three hundred and likely to keep on growing. The night
before the lottery, Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves made up the slips of paper and put them in the
box, and it was then taken to Mr. Summers’ coal company and locked up until Mr. Summers was
ready to take it to the square next morning. There was a great deal of fussing to be done before
Mr. Summers declared the lottery open. There were the lists to make up–of heads of families,
heads of households in each family, members of each household in each family. Some people
believed that the official of the lottery used to stand just so when he said or sang it, others
believed that he was supposed to walk among the people, but this had changed with time, until
now it was felt necessary only for the official to speak to each person approaching. Mr. Summers
was very good at all this, with one hand resting on the box, he seemed very proper and important
as he talked to Mr. Graves and the Martins.

(7) Just as Mr. Summers finally left off talking and turned to the assembled villagers, Mrs.
Hutchinson came hurriedly along the path to the square, her sweater over her shoulders, and slid
into place in the back of the crowd. “Clean forgot what day it was,” she said to Mrs. Delacroix,
who stood next to her, and they both laughed softly. “Thought my old man was out back stacking
wood,” Mrs. Hutchinson went on, “and then I looked out the window and the kids was gone, and
then I remembered it was the twenty-seventh and came running.” She dried her hands on her
apron, and Mrs. Delacroix said, “You’re in time, though. They’re still talking away up there.”

(8) Mrs. Hutchinson craned her neck to see through the crowd and found her husband and
children standing near the front. She tapped Mrs. Delacroix on the arm as a farewell and began
to make her way through the crowd. Mrs. Hutchinson reached her husband, and Mr. Summers,
who had been waiting, said cheerfully. “Thought we were going to have to get on without you,
Tessie.” Mrs. Hutchinson said, grinning, “Wouldn’t have me leave m’dishes in the sink, now,
would you, Joe?” and soft laughter ran through the crowd as the people stirred back into position
after Mrs. Hutchinson’s arrival.

(9) “Well, now.” Mr. Summers said soberly, “guess we better get started, get this over with, so we
can go back to work. Anybody ain’t here?”

(10) “Dunbar,” several people said. “Dunbar. Dunbar.”

(11) Mr. Summers consulted his list. “Clyde Dunbar,” he said. “That’s right. He’s broke his leg,
hasn’t he? Who’s drawing for him?”

(12) “Me. I guess,” a woman said, and Mr. Summers turned to look at her. “Wife draws for her
husband,” Mr. Summers said. “Don’t you have a grown boy to do it for you, Janey?” Although
Mr. Summers and everyone else in the village knew the answer perfectly well, it was the business
of the official of the lottery to ask such questions formally. Mr. Summers waited with an
expression of polite interest while Mrs. Dunbar answered.

(13) “Horace’s not but sixteen yet,” Mrs. Dunbar said regretfully. “Guess I gotta fill in for the old
man this year.
”
(14) “Right. ” Mr. Summers said. He made a note on the list he was holding. Then he asked,
“Watson boy drawing this year?”
(15) A tall boy in the crowd raised his hand. “Here,” he said. “I’m drawing for my mother and
me. ” He blinked his eyes nervously and ducked his head as several voices in the crowd said
things like “Good fellow, lack. ” and “Glad to see your mother’s got a man to do it. “

(16) “Well,” Mr. Summers said, “guess that’s everyone. Old Man Warner make it?”

(17) “Here,” a voice said, and Mr. Summers nodded.

(18) A sudden hush fell on the crowd as Mr. Summers cleared his throat and looked at the list.
“All ready?” he called. “Now, I’ll read the names–heads of families first–and the men come up
and take a paper out of the box. Keep the paper folded in your hand without looking at it until
everyone has had a turn. Everything clear?”

(19) The people had done it so many times that they only half listened to the directions: most of
them were quiet, wetting their lips, not looking around. Then Mr. Summers raised one hand high
and said, “Adams. ” A man disengaged himself from the crowd and came forward. “Hi. Steve. ”
Mr. Summers said, and Mr. Adams said. “Hi, Joe.”

(20) They grinned at one another humorlessly and nervously. Then Mr. Adams reached into the
black box and took out a folded paper. He held it firmly by one corner as he turned and went
hastily back to
his place in the crowd, where he stood a little apart from his family, not looking down at his
hand.

(21) “Allen,” Mr. Summers said. “Anderson… Bentham. “

(22) “Seems like there’s no time at all between lotteries any more. ” Mrs. Delacroix said to Mrs.
Graves in the back row.

(23) “Seems like we got through with the last one only last week. “

(24) “Time sure goes fast” Mrs. Graves said.

(25) “Clark… Delacroix. “

(26) “There goes my old man. ” Mrs. Delacroix said. She held her breath while her husband went
forward.

(27) “Dunbar,” Mr. Summers said, and Mrs. Dunbar went steadily to the box while one of the
women said. “Go on, Janey,” and another said, “There she goes. “

(28) “We’re next,” Mrs. Graves said. She watched while Mr. Graves came around from the side
of the box, greeted Mr. Summers gravely and selected a slip of paper from the box. By now, all
through the crowd there were men holding the small folded papers in their large hand, turning
them over and over nervously. Mrs. Dunbar and her two sons stood together, Mrs. Dunbar
holding the slip of paper.

(29) “Harburt… Hutchinson. “

(31) “Jones. “

(32) “They do say,” Mr. Adams said to Old Man Warner, who stood next to him, “that over in the
north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery. “

(33) Old Man Warner snorted. “Pack of crazy fools,” he said. “Listening to the young folks,
nothing’s good enough for them. Next thing you know, they’ll be wanting to go back to living in
caves, nobody work any more. Used to be a saying about Lottery in June. First thing you know,
we’d all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns. There’s always been a lottery,” he added . “Bad
enough to see young Joe Summers up there joking with everybody.”

(34) “Some places have already quit lotteries,” Mrs. Adams said.

(35) “Nothing but trouble in that,” Old Man Warner said stoutly. “Pack of young fools.”

(36) “Martin. ” And Bobby Martin watched his father go forward.

(37) “I wish they’d hurry,” Mrs. Dunbar said to her older son. “I wish they’d hurry.”

(38) “They’re almost through,” her son said.

(39) “You get ready to run tell Dad,” Mrs. Dunbar said.

(40) Mr. Summers called his own name and then stepped forward precisely and selected a slip
from the box. Then he called, “Warner. “

(41) “Seventy-seventh year I been in the lottery,” Old Man Warner said as he went through the
crowd. “Seventy-seventh time.”

(42) “Watson. ” The tall boy came awkwardly through the crowd. Someone said, “Don’t be
nervous, Jack,” and Mr. Summers said, “Take your time, son.”

(44) After that, there was a long pause, a breathless pause, until Mr. Summers, holding his slip of
paper in the air, said, “All right, fellows. ” For a minute, no one moved, and then all the slips of
paper were opened. Suddenly, all the women began to speak at once, saving. “Who is it?,”
“Who’s got it?,” “Is it the Dunbars?,” “Is it the Watsons?” Then the voices began to say, “It’s
Hutchinson. It’s Bill,” “Bill Hutchinson’s got it.”

(45) “Go tell your father,” Mrs. Dunbar said to her older son.

(46) People began to look around to see the Hutchinsons. Bill Hutchinson was standing quiet,
staring down at the paper in his hand. Suddenly, Tessie Hutchinson shouted to Mr. Summers.
“You didn’t give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn’t fair!”

(47) “Be a good sport, Tessie,” Mrs. Delacroix called, and Mrs. Graves said, “All of us took the
same chance. “ (48) “Shut up, Tessie,” Bill Hutchinson said.
(49) “Well, everyone,” Mr. Summers said, “that was done pretty fast, and now we’ve got to be
hurrying a little more to get done in time. ” He consulted his next list. “Bill,” he said, “you draw
for the Hutchinson family. You got any other households in the Hutchinsons?” “There’s Don and
Eva,” Mrs. Hutchinson yelled. “Make them take their chance!” “Daughters draw with their
husbands’ families, Tessie,” Mr. Summers said gently. “You know that as well as anyone else. “

(50) “It wasn’t fair,” Tessie said.

(51) “I guess not, Joe,” Bill Hutchinson said regretfully. “My daughter draws with her husband’s
family; that’s only fair. And I’ve got no other family except the kids.“

(52) “Then, as far as drawing for families is concerned, it’s you,” Mr. Summers said in
explanation, “and as far as drawing for households is concerned, that’s you, too. Right?”

(53) “Right,” Bill Hutchinson said.

(54) “How many kids, Bill?” Mr. Summers asked formally. (55) “Three,” Bill Hutchinson said.

(56) “There’s Bill, Jr., and Nancy, and little Dave. And Tessie and me.”

(57) “All right, then,” Mr. Summers said. “Harry, you got their tickets back?”

(58) Mr. Graves nodded and held up the slips of paper. “Put them in the box, then,” Mr.
Summers directed. “Take Bill’s and put it in. “

(59) “I think we ought to start over,” Mrs. Hutchinson said, as quietly as she could. “I tell you it
wasn’t fair. You didn’t give him time enough to choose. Everybody saw that.”

(60) Mr. Graves had selected the five slips and put them in the box, and he dropped all the papers
but those onto the ground, where the breeze caught them and lifted them off.

(61) “Listen, everybody,” Mrs. Hutchinson was saying to the people around her.

(62) “Ready, Bill?” Mr. Summers asked, and Bill Hutchinson, with one quick glance around at
his wife and children, nodded.

(63) “Remember,” Mr. Summers said, “take the slips and keep them folded until each person has
taken one. Harry, you help little Dave. ” Mr. Graves took the hand of the little boy, who came
willingly with him up to the box. “Take a paper out of the box, Davy,” Mr. Summers said. Davy
put his hand into the box and laughed. “Take just one paper. ” Mr. Summers said. “Harry, you
hold it for him. ” Mr. Graves took the child’s hand and removed the folded paper from the tight
fist and held it while little Dave stood next to him and looked up at him wonderingly.

(64) “Nancy next,” Mr. Summers said. Nancy was twelve, and her school friends breathed heavily
as she went forward switching her skirt, and took a slip daintily from the box “Bill, Jr. ,” Mr.
Summers said, and Billy, his face red and his feet overlarge, near knocked the box over as he got
a paper out. “Tessie,” Mr. Summers said. She hesitated for a minute, looking around defiantly,
and then set her lips and went up to the box. She snatched a paper out and held it behind her.
(65) “Bill,” Mr. Summers said, and Bill Hutchinson reached into the box and felt around,
bringing his hand out at last with the slip of paper in it.

(66) The crowd was quiet. A girl whispered, “I hope it’s not Nancy,” and the sound of the whisper
reached the edges of the crowd.

(67) “It’s not the way it used to be,” Old Man Warner said clearly. “People ain’t the way they
used to be.”

(68) “All right,” Mr. Summers said. “Open the papers. Harry, you open little Dave’s.”

(69) Mr. Graves opened the slip of paper and there was a general sigh through the crowd as he
held it
up and everyone could see that it was blank. 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.

(70) “Tessie,” Mr. Summers said. There was a pause, and then Mr. Summers looked at Bill
Hutchinson, and Bill unfolded his paper and showed it. It was blank.
(71) “It’s Tessie,” Mr. Summers said, and his voice was hushed. “Show us her paper, Bill.

(72) Bill Hutchinson went over to his wife and forced the slip of paper out of her hand. It had a
black
spot on it, the black spot Mr. Summers had made the night before with the heavy pencil in the
coal company office. Bill Hutchinson held it up, and there was a stir in the crowd.

(73) “All right, folks,” Mr. Summers said. “Let’s finish quickly. “

(74) Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still
remembered to use stones. The pile of stones the boys had made earlier was ready; there were
stones on the ground with the blowing scraps of paper that had come out of the box Delacroix
selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Mrs. Dunbar. “Come
on,” she said. “Hurry up.“

(75) Mrs. Dunbar had small stones in both hands, and she said, gasping for breath. “I can’t run
at all.
You’ll have to go ahead and I’ll catch up with you.”

(76) The children had stones already. And someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles.

(77) Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out
desperately as the villagers moved in on her. “It isn’t fair,” she said. A stone hit her on the side of
the head. Old Man Warner was saying, “Come on, come on, everyone. ” Steve Adams was in the
front of the crowd of villagers, with Mrs. Graves beside him.

(78) “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,” Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.
Bill Hutchinson: A central character who draws for his family in the lottery.

1. Tessie Hutchinson : Bill's wife, who becomes the unfortunate target of the lottery.

2. Mr. Summers : The official in charge of conducting the lottery.

3. Mr. Graves : Assists Mr. Summers in conducting the lottery.

4. Bobby Martin : A boy who participates in gathering stones for the lottery.

5. Harry Jones : Another boy involved in gathering stones.

6. Dickie Delacroix : A boy who helps pile up stones.

7. Mrs. Delacroix : Dickie's mother, present at the lottery.

8. Mr. Martin : Likely Bobby Martin's father, involved in holding the black box.

9. Old Man Warner : The oldest man in the town, traditional and defensive of the lottery.

10.Janey Dunbar : Wife of Clyde Dunbar, drawing for her husband who has a broken leg.

11.Horace Dunbar : Son of Janey and Clyde Dunbar.

12.Watson boy : A tall boy drawing for his mother and himself.

13.Mr. Adams : A man in the crowd, exchanges greetings with Mr. Summers.

14.Clyde Dunbar : Mentioned as having a broken leg, unable to participate in the lottery.

15.Mrs. Dunbar : Clyde Dunbar's wife, who draws for him.

16.Mr. Bentham : A villager mentioned during the list of names.

17.Mrs. Adams : Wife of Mr. Adams, present at the lottery.

18.Mrs. Graves : A woman in the crowd who converses with Mrs. Delacroix.

19.Mr. Clark : A villager mentioned during the list of names.

20.Mr. Delacroix : Likely Dickie Delacroix's father, participating in the lottery.

21.Mr. Allen : A villager mentioned during the list of names.

22.Mr. Anderson : A villager mentioned during the list of names.

23.Jones : A villager mentioned during the list of names.

24.Martin : A villager mentioned during the list of names.

25.Watson : A villager mentioned during the list of names.