Simply hearing the title of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", automatically conjures an image of a a lucky person who wins an instant landslide of money. Although there is certainly suspense in "The Lottery", it is mostly based on the concept that you don't know, at least in the beginning, what's in store for the "winner of this town's lottery". When the reader gets further into "The Lottery", "it becomes clear that this story is full of horrific possibilities and it is these possibilities that make it more interesting. For instance, the little boy Davy, too young to even hold his slip of paper properly, could have been the one to "win" the lottery instead of his mother. The fact that children even take part in this ritualistic violence is chilling. And for the winner, there is no proper goodbye except for being stoned by friends and family. The author suggests that blindly following traditions can have tragic results.
The story kicks off with preparations well underway for "The Lottery" to take place. School children just finished classes for the summer. It was June 27, at 10:00 and a warm sunny day. Old man Warner has participated in 77 lotteries he is the oldest man in the village. Mr. Adam said to Old man Warner "that some of that in north village they were talking about giving up the lottery. Old man Warner snorted. "Pack of crazy fools," he said. He doesn't like change. .
Mr. Summers conducts the lottery by preparing the slips of paper for the black box and Mr. Graves is the postmaster who helps him by carrying the three legged stool. Mr. Summer's checks to see if all are present, and he doesn't see Tessie so he pauses and then here comes Tessie, Mr. Summer said "thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie." Tessie said to Mr. Summers "wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink, now would you, Joe?" everyone is expected except for Mr. Dunbar since he broke his leg so he is excused and his wife will pull his slip for him.