Shirley Jackson`s The Lottery

In "The Lottery", Shirley Jackson displays how far people have strayed from the face of humanity through corrupt faddism. The author begins by describing June 27th as a perfectly normal summer day in a small village of only a few hundred people. Mr. Summers, the head in charge of the lottery, goes through a great deal of preparation before the lottery event. He must write up the names of each head member of the family and the family's members some time before the faithful day and place them in a worn, shabby black box.

Although the ritual has become old in its years, the villagers still remember the process and to gather small stones and throwing rocks for the end of the event. The lottery begins with Mr. Summers calling the head of the families to come and pick out a slip of paper from the black box. As each head of the family opens their paper simultaneously, Bill Hutchinson opens his to see that his family has received the marked paper.

Tessie Hutchinson, Bill Hutchinson's wife, becomes slightly hysteric as she begins to claim that her husband has been cheated in this unfair ritual. This bout of hysteria is quickly hushed, and the Hutchinson family individually draws out papers to find the lucky winner. Mrs. Hutchinson is found with the black dot marring her paper. She is then drawn into a circle as the town villagers prepare for the end of their annual lottery.

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In the short story, Mrs. Delacroix shows how her support and resolution makes her a positive role model. Mrs. Delacroix is portrayed as one of Tessie Hutchinson's friends of the village, they speak as if there are no horrors to come in only moments after their conversation. The small exchange between the two women shows their close relationship and comfortability around each other. Later, after the Bill Hutchinson receives his marked paper, Mrs. Delacroix tries to sedate Tessie's whimsical exclamations by telling her to remain calm.

Mrs. Delacroix knows all too well that one must not protest or act against this sacramental process. She attempted to diffuse a situation before it got out of hand and disrupted the process of the lottery's typical ritual. In conclusion, Mrs. Delacroix is one of the most positive role models, in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", which is shown through her support and resolute thoughts.

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