The Lottery

Although this read is about the townspeople of a small village who draw out of a box to see who gets stoned more or less. The story has more of a hidden message in it that I find quite interesting. As I read this story my mind catches the big picture and sees what I think Shirley Jackson is trying to get at. The title is just right for this story because they are playing a lottery game. It may not be the same lottery many people now day play but the same concept. Half ass backwards, but the same concept. In my eyes Shirley Jackson was trying to point out about how much we gamble now days. On everything. You sign up for school, you are taking a gamble. Do you go to all your classes and participate, or do you skip out on it and loose a bunch of money. Maybe a better example than that would be. Say I hop in my car and go to the bar. Right away their I am taking a gamble. Just having my car there makes the chances go up that I will drive it home. Not only that, but I go inside and have a few drinks. This makes me want to drive and jam out. Say I do get in the car. Now the lottery comes into play. I am taking a big chance driving home. Either I do it, get lucky, hit the jackpot, meaning I made it home. On the other hand maybe my luck has run out and I loose my bet with myself and find myself locked up for DWI. That is the gamble I made. Of course their are many many situations were people take gambles just like the village people. You gamble everyday. Win or loose, as long as you know the consequences your free to play, but if you loose, you must pay. Therefore I feel that is the point of "The Lottery".