The Questions meant to inspire writing on "The Lottery"

1. Were you surprised by the ending of the story? If not, at what point did you know what was going to happen? How does
Jackson start to foreshadow the ending in paragraphs 2 and 3? Conversely, how does Jackson lull us into thinking that this is
just an ordinary story with an ordinary town?


2. Where does the story take place? In what way does the setting affect the story? Does it make you more or less likely to
anticipate the ending?

3. In what ways are the characters differentiated from one another? Looking back at the story, can you see why Tessie
Hutchinson is singled out as the "winner"?

4. What are some examples of irony in this story? For example, why might the title, "The Lottery," or the opening description
in paragraph one, be considered ironic?

5. Jackson gives interesting names to a number of her characters. Explain the possible allusions, irony or symbolism of some
of these:

l Delacroix
l Graves
l Summers
l Bentham
l Hutchinson