One of the more moving stories we read was The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. I had read this story during my AP Literature class during my senior year of high school, and it affected me greatly then. However when I re-read it during this class, I felt even more moved.
Tessie, the main character who was the unlucky loser of the lottery, was not expecting this to happen to her. In fact, she did not arrive at the drawing on time simply because she was forgot what day it was. This showed how truly unexpected her death was.
When she finally arrived at the drawing and discovered she was the chosen one, I found it interesting that she tried to excuse herself from being killed. Like in society today, people are not nervous about the wellbeing of others unless it directly affects them. By being late to the lottery, Tessie was almost making a joke of the whole system. However, once her name was called, it became reality. She began fighting for her survival, insisting it was not her turn.
Another part of the story that moved me the most was what happened after Tessie was chosen. It seemed as if the town has no sympathy for her, and was rather excited to throw rocks at her. The ladies who Tessie considered her friends were almost “gathering the troops” to see the end of Tessie’s life.
This story truly exemplified how cruel people can be and how unsympathetic people can be as well. Let’s hope our society does not accumulate to such madness!
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