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The Lottery
By Shirley Jackson

1he morning o June 2th was clear and
sunny, with the resh warmth o a ull-
summer day, the lowers were blossoming
prousely and the grass was richly green. 1he
people o the illage began to gather in the
square, between the post oice and the bank,
around ten o'clock, in some towns there were
so many people that the lottery took two days
and had to be started on June 2nd but in this
illage, where there were only about three
hundred people, the whole lottery took less
than two hours, so it could begin at ten
o'clock in the morning and still be through in
time to allow the illagers to get home or
noon dinner.
1he children assembled irst, o course.
School was recently oer or the summer, and
the eeling o liberty sat uneasily on most o
them, they tended to gather together quietly
or a while beore they broke into boisterous
play. and their talk was still o the classroom
and the teacher, o books and reprimands.
Bobby Martin had already stued his pockets
ull o stones, and the other boys soon
ollowed his example, selecting the smoothest
and roundest stones, Bobby and larry Jones
and Dickie Delacroix-- the illagers
pronounced this name "Dellacroy"--eentually
made a great pile o stones in one corner o
the square and guarded it against the raids o
the other boys. 1he girls stood aside, talking
among themseles, looking oer their
shoulders at rolled in the dust or clung to the
hands o their older brothers or sisters.
Soon the men began to gather,
sureying their own children, speaking o
planting and rain, tractors and taxes. 1hey
stood together, away rom the pile o stones
in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and
they smiled rather than laughed. 1he women,
wearing aded house dresses and sweaters,
came shortly ater their menolk. 1hey greeted
one another and exchanged bits o gossip as
they went to join their husbands. Soon the
women, standing by their husbands, began to
call to their children, and the children came
reluctantly, haing to be called our or ie
times. Bobby Martin ducked under his
mother's grasping hand and ran, laughing,
back to the pile o stones. lis ather spoke up
sharply, and Bobby came quickly and took his
place between his ather and his oldest
brother.
1he lottery was conducted--as were the
square dances, the teen club, the lalloween
program--by Mr. Summers who had time and
energy to deote to ciic actiities. le was a
round-aced, joial man and he ran the coal
business, and people were sorry or him
because he had no children and his wie was a
scold. \hen he arried in the square, carrying
the black wooden box, there was a murmur o
conersation among the illagers, and he
waed and called, "Little late today, olks."
1he postmaster, Mr. Graes, ollowed him,
carrying a three- legged stool, and the stool
was put in the center o the square and Mr.
Summers set the black box down on it. 1he
illagers kept their distance, leaing a space
between themseles and the stool. and when
Mr. Summers said, "Some o you ellows want
to gie me a hand" there was a hesitation
beore two men, Mr. Martin and his oldest
son, Baxter, came orward to hold the box
steady on the stool while Mr. Summers stirred
up the papers inside it.
1he original paraphernalia or the
lottery had been lost long ago, and the black
box now resting on the stool had been put
into use een beore Old Man \arner, the
oldest man in town, was born. Mr. Summers
spoke requently to the illagers about making
a new box, but no one liked to upset een as
much tradition as was represented by the
black box. 1here was a story that the present
box had been made with some pieces o the
box that had preceded it, the one that had
been constructed when the irst people settled
down to make a illage here. Lery year, ater
the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking again
about a new box, but eery year the subject
was allowed to ade o without anything's
being done. 1he black box grew shabbier each

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year: by now it was no longer completely
black but splintered badly along one side to
show the original wood color, and in some
places aded or stained.
Mr. Martin and his oldest son, Baxter,
held the black box securely on the stool until
Mr. Summers had stirred the papers
thoroughly with his hand. Because so much o
the ritual had been orgotten or discarded, Mr.
Summers had been successul in haing slips
o paper substituted or the chips o wood
that had been used or generations. Chips o
wood, Mr. Summers had argued. had been all
ery well when the illage was tiny, but now
that the population was more than three
hundred and likely to keep on growing, it was
necessary to use something that would it
more easily into he black box. 1he night
beore the lottery, Mr. Summers and Mr.
Graes made up the slips o paper and put
them in the box, and it was then taken to the
sae o Mr. Summers' coal company and
locked up until Mr. Summers was ready to
take it to the square next morning. 1he rest o
the year, the box was put way, sometimes one
place, sometimes another, it had spent one
year in Mr. Graes's barn and another year
underoot in the post oice, and sometimes it
was set on a shel in the Martin grocery and
let there.
1here was a great deal o ussing to be
done beore Mr. Summers declared the lottery
open. 1here were the lists to make up--o
heads o amilies, heads o households in each
amily, members o each household in each
amily. 1here was the proper swearing-in o
Mr. Summers by the postmaster, as the
oicial o the lottery, at one time, some
people remembered, there had been a recital
o some sort, perormed by the oicial o the
lottery, a perunctory. tuneless chant that had
been rattled o duly each year, some people
belieed that the oicial o the lottery used to
stand just so when he said or sang it, others
belieed that he was supposed to walk among
the people, but years and years ago this p3rt
o the ritual had been allowed to lapse. 1here
had been, also, a ritual salute, which the
oicial o the lottery had had to use in
addressing each person who came up to draw
rom the box, but this also had changed with
time, until now it was elt necessary only or
the oicial to speak to each person
approaching. Mr. Summers was ery good at
all this, in his clean white shirt and blue jeans,
with one hand resting carelessly on the black
box. he seemed ery proper and important as
he talked interminably to Mr. Graes and the
Martins.
Just as Mr. Summers inally let o
talking and turned to the assembled illagers,
Mrs. lutchinson came hurriedly along the
path to the square, her sweater thrown oer
her shoulders, and slid into place in the back
o the crowd. "Clean orgot what day it was,"
she said to Mrs. Delacroix, who stood next to
her, and they both laughed sotly. "1hought
my old man was out back stacking wood,"
Mrs. lutchinson went on," and then I looked
out the window and the kids was gone, and
then I remembered it was the twenty-seenth
and came a-running." She dried her hands on
her apron, and Mrs. Delacroix said, "\ou're in
time, though. 1hey're still talking away up
there."
Mrs. lutchinson craned her neck to see
through the crowd and ound her husband
and children standing near the ront. She
tapped Mrs. Delacroix on the arm as a
arewell and began to make her way through
the crowd. 1he people separated good-
humoredly to let her through: two or three
people said. in oices just loud enough to be
heard across the crowd, "lere comes your,
Missus, lutchinson," and "Bill, she made it
ater all." Mrs. lutchinson reached her
husband, and Mr. Summers, who had been
waiting, said cheerully. "1hought we were
going to hae to get on without you, 1essie."
Mrs. lutchinson said, grinning, "\ouldn't
hae me leae m'dishes in the sink, now,
would you, Joe," and sot laughter ran
through the crowd as the people stirred back
into position ater Mrs. lutchinson's arrial.
"\ell, now," Mr. Summers said soberly,
"guess we better get started, get this oer
with, so's we can go back to work. Anybody
ain't here"

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"Dunbar." seeral people said. "Dunbar.
Dunbar."
Mr. Summers consulted his list. "Clyde
Dunbar." he said. "1hat's right. le's broke his
leg, hasn't he \ho's drawing or him"
"Me. I guess," a woman said. and Mr.
Summers turned to look at her. "\ie draws
or her husband." Mr. Summers said. "Don't
you hae a grown boy to do it or you,
Janey" Although Mr. Summers and eeryone
else in the illage knew the answer perectly
well, it was the business o the oicial o the
lottery to ask such questions ormally. Mr.
Summers waited with an expression o polite
interest while Mrs. Dunbar answered.
"lorace's not but sixteen et." Mrs.
Dunbar said regretully. "Guess I gotta ill in
or the old man this year."
"Right." Sr. Summers said. le made a
note on the list he was holding. 1hen he
asked, "\atson boy drawing this year"
A tall boy in the crowd raised his hand.
"lere," he said. "I`m drawing or my mother
and me." le blinked his eyes nerously and
ducked his head as seeral oices in the crowd
said things like "Good ellow, luck" and "Glad
to see your mother's got a man to do it."
"\ell," Mr. Summers said, "guess that's
eeryone. Old Man \arner make it"
"lere," a oice said. and Mr. Summers
nodded.
A sudden hush ell on the crowd as Mr.
Summers cleared his throat and looked at the
list. "All ready" he called. "Now, I'll read the
names--heads o amilies irst--and the men
come up and take a paper out o the box.
Keep the paper olded in your hand without
looking at it until eeryone has had a turn.
Lerything clear"
1he people had done it so many times
that they only hal listened to the directions:
most o them were quiet, wetting their lips,
not looking around. 1hen Mr. Summers raised
one hand high and said, "Adams." A man
disengaged himsel rom the crowd and came
orward. "li. Stee." Mr. Summers said, and
Mr. Adams said, "li. Joe." 1hey grinned at
one another humorlessly and nerously. 1hen
Mr. Adams reached into the black box and
took out a olded paper. le held it irmly by
one corner as he turned and went hastily back
to his place in the crowd where he stood a
little apart rom his amily, not looking down
at his hand.
"Allen." Mr. Summers said.
"Anderson.... Bentham."
"Seems like there's no time at all
between lotteries any more." Mrs. Delacroix
said to Mrs. Graes in the back row.
"Seems like we got through with the last
one only last week."
"1ime sure goes ast,` Mrs. Graes said.
"Clark.... Delacroix"
"1here goes my old man." Mrs.
Delacroix said. She held her breath while her
husband went orward.
"Dunbar," Mr. Summers said, and Mrs.
Dunbar went steadily to the box while one o
the women said, "Go on, Janey," and another
said, "1here she goes."
"\e're next." Mrs. Graes said. She
watched while Mr. Graes came around rom
the side o the box, greeted Mr. Summers
graely and selected a slip o paper rom the
box. By now, all through the crowd there
were men holding the small olded papers in
their large hand, turning them oer and oer
nerously. Mrs. Dunbar and her two sons
stood together, Mrs. Dunbar holding the slip
o paper.
"larburt.... lutchinson."
"Get up there, Bill," Mrs. lutchinson
said. and the people near her laughed.
"Jones."
"1hey do say," Mr. Adams said to Old
Man \arner, who stood next to him, "that
oer in the north illage they're talking o
giing up the lottery."
Old Man \arner snorted. "Pack o
crazy ools," he said. "Listening to the young
olks, nothing's good enough or them. Next
thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back
to liing in caes, nobody work any more, lie
hat way or a while. Used to be a saying about
'Lottery in June, corn be heay soon.' lirst
thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed
chickweed and acorns. 1here's always been a
lottery," he added petulantly. "Bad enough to

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see young Joe Summers up there joking with
eerybody."
"Some places hae already quit
lotteries." Mrs. Adams said.
"Nothing but trouble in that," Old Man
\arner said stoutly. "Pack o young ools."
"Martin." And Bobby Martin watched
his ather go orward. "Oerdyke.... Percy."
"I wish they'd hurry," Mrs. Dunbar said
to her older son. "I wish they'd hurry."
"1hey're almost through," her son said.
"\ou get ready to run tell Dad," Mrs.
Dunbar said.
Mr. Summers called his own name and
then stepped orward precisely and selected a
slip rom the box. 1hen he called, "\arner."
"Seenty-seenth year I been in the
lottery," Old Man \arner said as he went
through the crowd. "Seenty-seenth time."
"\atson" 1he tall boy came awkwardly
through the crowd. Someone said, "Don't be
nerous, Jack," and Mr. Summers said, "1ake
your time, son."
"Zanini."
Ater that, there was a long pause, a
breathless pause, until Mr. Summers. holding
his slip o paper in the air, said, "All right,
ellows." lor a minute, no one moed, and
then all the slips o paper were opened.
Suddenly, all the women began to speak at
once, saing. "\ho is it," "\ho's got it," "Is
it the Dunbars," "Is it the \atsons" 1hen
the oices began to say, "It's lutchinson. It's
Bill," "Bill lutchinson's got it."
"Go tell your ather," Mrs. Dunbar said
to her older son.
People began to look around to see the
lutchinsons. Bill lutchinson was standing
quiet, staring down at the paper in his hand.
Suddenly, 1essie lutchinson shouted to Mr.
Summers. "\ou didn't gie him time enough
to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It
wasn't air!"
"Be a good sport, 1essie," Mrs.
Delacroix called, and Mrs. Graes said, "All o
us took the same chance."
"Shut up, 1essie," Bill lutchinson said.
"\ell, eeryone," Mr. Summers said,
"that was done pretty ast, and now we'e got
to be hurrying a little more to get done in
time." le consulted his next list. "Bill," he
said, "you draw or the lutchinson amily.
\ou got any other households in the
lutchinsons"
"1here's Don and La," Mrs.
lutchinson yelled. "Make them take their
chance!"
"Daughters draw with their husbands'
amilies, 1essie," Mr. Summers said gently.
"\ou know that as well as anyone else."
"It wasn't air," 1essie said.
"I guess not, Joe." Bill lutchinson said
regretully. "My daughter draws with her
husband's amily, that's only air. And I'e got
no other amily except the kids."
"1hen, as ar as drawing or amilies is
concerned, it's you," Mr. Summers said in
explanation, "and as ar as drawing or
households is concerned, that's you, too.
Right"
"Right," Bill lutchinson said.
"low many kids, Bill" Mr. Summers
asked ormally.
"1hree," Bill lutchinson said.
"1here's Bill, Jr., and Nancy, and little
Dae. And 1essie and me."
"All right, then," Mr. Summers said.
"larry, you got their tickets back"
Mr. Graes nodded and held up the
slips o paper. "Put them in the box, then,"
Mr. Summers directed. "1ake Bill's and put it
in."
"I think we ought to start oer," Mrs.
lutchinson said, as quietly as she could. "I
tell you it wasn't air. \ou didn't gie him time
enough to choose. Lerybody saw that."
Mr. Graes had selected the ie slips
and put them in the box. and he dropped all
the papers but those onto the ground, where
the breeze caught them and lited them o.
"Listen, eerybody," Mrs. lutchinson
was saying to the people around her.
"Ready, Bill" Mr. Summers asked. and
Bill lutchinson, with one quick glance
around at his wie and children nodded.
"Remember," Mr. Summers said. "take
the slips and keep them olded until each
person has taken one. larry, you help little

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Dae." Mr. Graes took the hand o the little
boy, who came willingly with him up to the
box. "1ake a paper out o the box, Day." Mr.
Summers said. Day put his hand into the box
and laughed. "1ake just one paper." Mr.
Summers said. "larry, you hold it or him."
Mr. Graes took the child's hand and
remoed the olded paper rom the tight ist
and held it while little Dae stood next to him
and looked up at him wonderingly.
"Nancy next," Mr. Summers said. Nancy
was twele, and her school riends breathed
heaily as she went orward switching her
skirt, and took a slip daintily rom the box.
"Bill, Jr.," Mr. Summers said, and Billy, his
ace red and his eet oerlarge, near knocked
the box oer as he got a paper out. "1essie,"
Mr. Summers said. She hesitated or a minute,
looking around deiantly and then set her lips
and went up to the box. She snatched a paper
out and held it behind her.
"Bill," Mr. Summers said, and Bill
lutchinson reached into the box and elt
around, bringing his hand out at last with the
slip o paper in it.
1he crowd was quiet. A girl whispered,
"I hope it's not Nancy," and the sound o the
whisper reached the edges o the crowd.
"It's not the way it used to be." Old
Man \arner said clearly. "People ain't the way
they used to be."
"All right," Mr. Summers said. "Open
the papers. larry, you open little Dae's."
Mr. Graes opened the slip o paper and
there was a general sigh through the crowd as
he held it up and eeryone could see that it
was blank. Nancy and Bill, Jr. opened theirs at
the same time and both beamed and laughed,
turning around to the crowd and holding their
slips o paper aboe their heads.
"1essie," Mr. Summers said. 1here was
a pause, and then Mr. Summers looked at Bill
lutchinson, and Bill unolded his paper and
showed it. It was blank.
"It's 1essie," Mr. Summers said, and his
oice was hushed. "Show us her paper, Bill."
Bill lutchinson went oer to his wie
and orced the slip o paper out o her hand.
It had a black spot on it, the black spot Mr.
Summers had made the night beore with the
heay pencil in the coal company oice. Bill
lutchinson held it up, and there was a stir in
the crowd.
"All right, olks." Mr. Summers said.
"Let's inish quickly."
Although the illagers had orgotten the
ritual and lost the original black box, they still
remembered to use stones. 1he pile o stones
the boys had made earlier was ready, there
were stones on the ground with the blowing
scraps o paper that had come out o the box
Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to
pick it up with both hands and turned to Mrs.
Dunbar. "Come on," she said. "lurry up."
Mr. Dunbar had small stones in both
hands, and she said, gasping or breath. "I
can't run at all. \ou'll hae to go ahead and I'll
catch up with you."
1he children had stones already. And
someone gae little Day lutchinson ew
pebbles.
1essie lutchinson was in the center o
a cleared space by now and she held her
hands out desperately as the illagers moed
in on her. "It isn't air," she said. A stone hit
her on the side o the head. Old Man \arner
was saying, "Come on, come on, eeryone."
Stee Adams was in the ront o the crowd o
illagers, with Mrs. Graes beside him.
"It isn't air, it isn't right," Mrs.
lutchinson screamed, and then they were
upon her.