The Lottery and the Law – A Novel

Historically, states adopt a lottery as a way to raise “painless” revenue, in which players voluntarily spend their money and, in exchange, the state collects a percentage of the total amount spent. Lotteries typically start with a modest number of relatively simple games and then, as revenues rise, expand by adding new ones, which often require extensive promotional campaigns. This expansion of the lottery raises questions about whether the state is promoting gambling at cross-purposes with the public’s interests, and also about the appropriateness of government sponsorship of gambling.

The story opens on a bucolic day in the unnamed village, when villagers gather in the square for their yearly lottery. Children who have recently returned from summer break are among the first to assemble, followed by adults who display the stereotypical normality of small-town life, warmly chatting and gossiping. The organizer of the lottery, Mr. Summers, appears and sets down a black wooden box in the center of the circle. He explains that the box is ancient and has been in use for a long time.

After he announces the starting numbers, the participants begin to draw. The reader is initially shocked at the brutality of this practice, but soon realizes that it is a necessary part of the lottery ritual. The scapegoat for the event, Tessie Hutchinson, is then stoned to death, revealing that this is a patriarchal culture in which families are organized around adult men. It is no coincidence that the scapegoat is a woman; society tends to persecute women, along with ethnic and religious minorities, in order to mark limits of acceptable behavior.