- profuselyadverbChapter 1 →
In very large amounts or quantities; here describing flowers blooming in great abundance, covering the area thickly.
“the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green”
- lotterynounChapter 1 →
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.
“Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.”
- paraphernalianounChapter 1 →
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.
- perfunctoryadjectiveChapter 1 →
Done quickly and with little care or attention, carried out as a routine duty without real thought or feeling.
- interminablyadverbChapter 1 →
Endlessly or for what feels like an extremely long time, without stopping; used to describe something that drags on tediously.
- desultoryadjectiveChapter 1 →
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.
- ritualnounChapter 1 →
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.
- black spotphraseChapter 1 →
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.
- sortitionnoun
The practice of selecting a person by drawing lots or slips at random; the underlying method by which the lottery victim is chosen.
- squarenounChapter 1 →
An open public space in the center of a town where people gather; the central meeting place where the lottery takes place each year.
- coal companynounChapter 1 →
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.
- civicadjectiveChapter 1 →
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.
- original paraphernaliaphraseChapter 1 →
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.
- swear inphraseChapter 1 →
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.
- slipnounChapter 1 →
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.
- stoningnounChapter 1 →
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.
The LotteryShort story by Shirley Jackson