First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak
out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did
not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak
out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me – and there was no one left to
speak for me.
-Martin Niemoller
The main character, Tessie Hutchinson, in Shirley Jackson’s short story The Lottery is a hard character to forget. Tessie seems to be a busy, happy, and loving mother and wife at the beginning of The Lottery. But, as she starts to be faced with the possibility of her death, her demeanor changes to a women who will do anything to live, even if that means that her child will die in her place. When you go through this story with Tessie, you learn of two very different personalities that she has. We see her personality when she is safe from harm and one where she is faced with her ultimate demise. Through these two personalities of Tessie Hutchinson’s character, Shirley Jackson explores the darkness that can live within a person as well as within a society. Ultimately, Tessie’s story makes us question why people choose to blindly follow a tradition or belief that harms others.
At the beginning of The Lottery the reader is introduced to Tessie Hutchinson as a slightly forgetful, busy, stay-at-home mom; “’Clean forgot what day it was,’ she said to Mrs. Delacroix, who stood next to her, and they both laughed softly,” (144). She had arrived a little late to an annual event in her village. And, after talking with Mrs. Delacroix, she makes her way to her family, standing to the front of the crowd. Then she jokes with Mr. Summers (Joe); “’Mrs. Hutchinson said, grinning, ‘Wouldn’t have me leave the dishes in the sink, now would you Joe?’” (144). So far nothing particularly sinister seems to be happening in the story, and the day seems to be a normal, happy summer day. Jackson writes in the first sentence of the story, “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green, “ (140).
The reader knows that this event is in fact, a lottery, but the reader doesn’t know what the lottery is for or what happens to the “winner.” Indeed the lottery is held in the same area as such jovial community activities as the “square dances, the teen-age club, [and] the Halloween program,” (140). The story progresses with the male head of household drawing a slip of paper from an old box. Finally, with a lot of anticipation, it is discovered that Bill Hutchinson (Tessie’s husband) has drawn the “winning” slip. The reader begins to understand that winning this lottery is not a good thing when we hear a slew of protests from Tessie, “You didn’t give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. it wasn’t fair.” (148). This is the first indication of Tessie’s character becoming more desperate when faced with something (the reader still isn’t sure what) that clearly terrifies her. She becomes so agitated that she wants her married daughter Eva and her husband Don “to take their chance” as well (148). This is a monumental change from her pre-selection disposition, and hardly what you would expect a loving mother to want. What is obvious to the reader is that Tessie’s behavior changed because she might face something she is deeply afraid of, yet would she be a willing participant if it had been someone else selected? After all, Mrs. Delacroix instructs her to “Be a good sport,” and Mrs. Graves says, “All of us took the same chance,” (148). With the chance of Tessie facing whatever outcome the lottery has, the reader sees a very different Tessie than they originally did, a person who will avoid that fate at all cost.
The viciousness of the lottery outcome becomes apparent at the end of the story, and the reader finally understands why the children were collecting stones. Tessie’s last, screamed words as the villagers set upon her are, “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,” (151). All the villagers participate, and even Tessie’s youngest boy, Davy is given a few pebbles to throw at his mother (151), while Mrs. Delacroix, who laughed with Tessie at the beginning of the story, picks up a stone “so large she had to pick it up with both hands” (151). What isn’t clear is why the villagers so blindly participate in this event. Several times throughout the story, it is suggested that the reasons and rituals behind the event have been forgotten. For example, Mr. Summers was able to substitute scraps of paper for chips of wood, “Because so much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded,” (142). There are even indications that nearby villages (which also appear to have this event) have begun talking about giving up the lottery (146). The same way that there is a loving, happy Tess and a desperate, selfish Tess there is an ordinary village and a village willing to kill one of it’s own each year. However, because the rituals have been forgotten and changed, and because there is discussion that the lottery could be stopped, it doesn’t mean the village can’t change. They just don’t seem to want to until their turn comes.
Tessie changes so dramatically throughout The Lottery that you wouldn’t be able to tell that the easy-going woman at the beginning was the same woman who would sacrifice anything for her life. Shirley Jackson uses these events to show how different people react as their situation changes. Since the lottery happened every year Tessie would have known that the “winner” was stoned to death, but it didn’t concern her until there was a chance that it could happen to her. The introductory poem to this essay is on the wall of the Washington D.C. Holocaust Museum. The Holocaust is an example of what can happen when people blindly follow, even if it kills millions of innocent people. Perhaps that is the warning The Lottery gives us – that we should think about our actions and why we do them.
