The Lottery - Question 5

Relevance to Today

In our time today, we also have lotteries although they are different from the one in the story. The lottery in the story, the "winner" , is stoned by their fellow villagers. However, in modern lotteries like 4D and TOTO, the winner gets an amount of money if he guesses the lucky number. In the story, the lottery is a matter of life and death and people do not want to be stoned like Mrs Hutchinson was. This ritual was a tradition of all villages in the story. It seems to be a form of sacrifice for them to have better crops as Old Man Warner mentioned that , "lottery in June, corn be heavy soon". People in modern times also sacrifice in hopes of having a better harvest but they do not sacrifice humans but maybe fruits or an animal.

We should learn from this story and not commit such heinous deeds, especially towards another human. however much we want for our own gains, we should not resort to killing. In the story there is word among the villagers that a few villages in have already given up lotteries. They must have realised it is wrong and I believe other villages will soon follow suit.