Flashcards for The Lottery

Bill Hutchinson

Bill Hutchinson plays a secondary yet crucial role in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," primarily as the husband of the story's tragic victim, Tessie Hutchinson.

character

Davy Hutchinson

Davy Hutchinson is the youngest child of Bill and Tessie Hutchinson in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery."

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Mr. Adams

Mr. Adams is a minor but symbolically significant villager in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery."

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Mr. Graves

Mr. Graves is the postmaster of the unnamed village in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," acting as Mr. Summers' chief assistant in running the annual lottery ritual.

character

Mrs. Adams

Mrs. Adams is a minor but thematically important character in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery."

character

Mrs. Delacroix

Mrs. Delacroix is a minor yet thematically significant character in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," serving as a chilling symbol of the story's central irony: how easily ordinary social warmth can turn into communal violence.

character

Mr. Summers

Mr. Summers is the main authority figure in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," acting as the civic official who oversees the village's annual ritual.

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Nancy Hutchinson

Nancy Hutchinson is a minor yet symbolically important character in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery."

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Old Man Warner

Old Man Warner is the oldest villager in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," having taken part in the annual ritual seventy-seven times in a row — a detail he proudly shares when he hears that some other villages are thinking about giving up the lottery.

character

Tessie Hutchinson

Tessie Hutchinson is the tragic protagonist and ultimate victim of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," a short story that uses the conventions of small-town ritual to reveal the violence hidden beneath social conformity.

character

“It isn't fair, it isn't right.”

These are the final desperate words of Tessie Hutchinson in Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" (1948), cried out as the villagers — including her own family — close in to stone her to death.

Tessie Hutchinson

“Clean forgot what day it was.”

This line is spoken by Old Man Warner — or more broadly echoed among the villagers — in Shirley Jackson's unsettling short story "The Lottery" (1948), during the casual pre-lottery gathering in the town square.

Villager (townsperson) · N/A (short story, single scene)

“They do say that over in the north village they're talking of giving up the lottery.”

This line is delivered by Old Man Warner's neighbor, often thought to be Mrs. Adams, during the annual lottery event in Shirley Jackson's 1948 short story "The Lottery."

Mrs. Adams

“Old Man Warner snorted. 'Pack of crazy fools.'”

This line comes from Old Man Warner, the oldest resident in Shirley Jackson's 1948 short story "The Lottery," during the town's annual lottery.

Old Man Warner

“Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones.”

This unsettling closing remark comes from Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" (1948), shared by the third-person omniscient narrator during the climax as the annual lottery ends in a brutal stoning.

Third-person omniscient narrator

“The lottery was conducted—as were the square dances, the teenage club, the Halloween program—by Mr. Summers.”

This opening line is spoken by the third-person omniscient narrator in Shirley Jackson's 1948 short story "The Lottery."

Third-person omniscient narrator · N/A (short story, single narrative)

“Bill Hutchinson went over to his wife and forced the slip of paper out of her hand.”

This line comes at a pivotal moment in Shirley Jackson's 1948 short story "The Lottery," specifically during the second and final drawing of the lottery ritual.

Narrator (third-person) · N/A (single-chapter short story)

“Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves.”

This line is spoken by Old Man Warner in Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" (1948) when he hears that a neighboring village is thinking about abandoning the annual lottery ritual.

Old Man Warner · N/A (short story)

“There's always been a lottery.”

In Shirley Jackson's chilling short story "The Lottery" (1948), Old Man Warner, the oldest villager and a staunch defender of the lottery, delivers this line when he learns that neighboring villages are thinking about giving up the ritual.

Old Man Warner

“Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.”

This folk saying is quoted by Old Man Warner in Shirley Jackson's chilling short story "The Lottery" (1948) when he learns that some neighboring villages are thinking about giving up the annual lottery.

Old Man Warner

Character Names

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the names of the characters serve as ironic symbols that hint at fate, virtue, and social order, only to be brutally undermined by the story's shocking ending.

The Black Box

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the black box symbolizes the village's unquestioning loyalty to tradition and the risks that come with unexamined rituals.

The Lottery Slips / Paper

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the paper slips drawn from the black box illustrate the cold, bureaucratic nature of blind tradition.

The Stones

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the stones represent the brutal, thoughtless violence that tradition can legitimize.

Motif

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the motif of stones runs throughout the story, growing more menacing as it progresses.

Allegory

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the allegory unfolds through the contrast between the story's seemingly normal surface and its shocking moral weight.

Pathetic Fallacy

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," pathetic fallacy creates a persistent, unsettling irony: the natural world appears charmingly innocent, lulling the reader into a false sense of security before the story's violent twist is revealed.

Symbolism

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," symbolism subtly transforms an ordinary village ritual into a reflection on blind tradition and collective violence.

Juxtaposition

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," juxtaposition serves as the story's core engine of dread.

Irony

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," irony serves as the driving force of the story, creating a growing divide between the cheerful facade and the harsh reality hidden beneath.

Understatement

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," understatement drives the story's unsettling impact.

profusely

In very large amounts or quantities; here describing flowers blooming in great abundance, covering the area thickly.

adverb · Chapter 1

lottery

In this story, a yearly village ritual in which one person is selected by drawing a marked slip of paper and then stoned to death by the community.

noun · Chapter 1

paraphernalia

The collection of objects and equipment associated with a particular activity; here, the various items and materials that once accompanied the lottery ceremony but have since been lost or forgotten.

noun · Chapter 1

perfunctory

Done quickly and with little care or attention, carried out as a routine duty without real thought or feeling.

adjective · Chapter 1

interminably

Endlessly or for what feels like an extremely long time, without stopping; used to describe something that drags on tediously.

adverb · Chapter 1

desultory

Lacking a clear plan or purpose, moving from one thing to another without focus; here describing the scattered, half-hearted way the villagers talk among themselves.

adjective · Chapter 1

ritual

A set of actions performed in a fixed, traditional order, often tied to a ceremony; here referring to the specific steps and customs that once surrounded the lottery.

noun · Chapter 1

black spot

The hand-drawn mark on a slip of paper inside the lottery box that identifies the person selected to be stoned; drawing it means you have been chosen as the victim.

phrase · Chapter 1

sortition

The practice of selecting a person by drawing lots or slips at random; the underlying method by which the lottery victim is chosen.

noun

square

An open public space in the center of a town where people gather; the central meeting place where the lottery takes place each year.

noun · Chapter 1

coal company

A business that supplies coal; mentioned to show Mr. Summers's standing as a prosperous local businessman who also runs civic events like the lottery.

noun · Chapter 1

civic

Relating to the duties and activities of running a community or town; used to describe the organized, official-seeming nature of the lottery as a public event.

adjective · Chapter 1

original paraphernalia

The full set of traditional objects and ceremonial items that once accompanied the lottery ritual but have been lost over generations, leaving only the black box.

phrase · Chapter 1

swear in

To formally administer an oath to someone taking on an official role; here Mr. Summers is officially confirmed as the lottery's conductor each year in a brief ceremony.

phrase · Chapter 1

slip

A small piece of paper; in the lottery, each family draws one from the box, and the one bearing the black mark determines who is stoned.

noun · Chapter 1

stoning

A method of execution in which a group throws stones at a person until they die; the fate that befalls the lottery's chosen victim.

noun · Chapter 1