My favorite short story has to be “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. It was quite different from all of the other stories we have read, mainly because the mood set by the author throughout was less tense and more calm compared to the other works. The story was suspenseful but it didn’t seem as serious as what it eventually built up to. The mood completely shifts near the end with a surprising reveal.

I was shocked when it was revealed the villagers were basically drawing lots to determine who gets stoned. While I was reading, I didn’t think that the plot twist regarding the lottery was coming at all although the author did hint at it, leaving subtle messages that I only understood after I read the story for the first time. The subtle messages along with knowing the concept of the lottery gives a completely different feel to the story. From the beginning of the story where the kids are collecting stones, to the lottery, where the idea of not upsetting tradition was mentioned; the story appears dark and intense rather than suspenseful and lighthearted over a second read. I was eager to reread it because I knew it would seem like an entirely different experience with my newfound knowledge of the ending. Everything from the dialogue to the actions of characters described by the narrator were put under a different atmosphere. The lines of Tessie Hutchinson, the victim of the horrifying ending; transformed from the depiction of greediness, to desperation at the end. I believe it was very well done and it is part of why I really enjoyed this story.

The ending is night and day with the beginning and middle of the story. The box from which the lottery slips were being drawn was the most suspicious element in the story, but in the end, it only served the purpose of representing how the villagers would continue to carry out their traditions regardless of the times progressing. If stoning your loved ones to death wasn’t proof of that mindset, then I don’t know what would be.