This is extremely ironic due to the fact readers would have never guessed the rocks would be used to stone another human being, and especially by kids. Finally, the last way irony is shown from the actions of the townspeople, is when Mrs.Delacroix selects a rock so big, she could hardly carry it. This is very ironic due to the fact at the start of the story, Tessie and Mrs. Delacroix seemed to be good friends as it says, "She tapped Mrs. Delacroix on the arm as a farewell and began to make her way through the crowd"(2). This happens when Tessie's family is picked for the lottery, thus the reason for saying her farewell as Tessie could be the one being stoned to death. It is clear to see that the actions of the townspeople are extremely ironic, but so are the names of the townspeople and where and when it takes place.
Almost every little detail in this story has a bit of irony to it, including the names of the characters. One prime example of this is Mr.Summers, as he is described to be the leader of this cruel game of chance. When one sees the word summer, the thoughts that come to mind are; sunny, nice out, relaxing etc. This is truly ironic because the readers may expect a nice guy, not someone who would conduct such an immoral act. Another name that can be seen as ironic is Mr. Graves. He also helps in the making of the slips for the lottery, as Jackson states, "Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves made up slips of paper and put them in the box"(2). The author could have chosen any other name, but she decided on "Graves". This is very ironic because the story ends with a death. Lastly the last name that had some sort of irony to it is Dickie Delacroix. Delacroix means "of the cross" in french. By the end of the story it almost as if Tessie Hutchinson was sacrificed, thus the reason why this can be seen as a perfect example of irony. This is obvious that Jackson intended to put that sort of name into this story.
