What is a Lottery?
In a lottery, a prize is assigned to one or more participants based on chance. Some prizes are cash; others can be goods or services. Lotteries are often associated with gambling, but they can also be used to allocate anything that is in limited supply or high demand. Examples include kindergarten admission at a reputable school, the lottery for occupying units in a subsidized housing block, or a vaccine against a rapidly spreading disease.
In the short story, Old Man Warner explains how the lottery started and why people continue to participate. He cites an old saying, “Lottery in June; corn will be heavy soon.” In a modern context, this is like saying “Making people sacrifice themselves for the good of the country will give us all the food we need” (Shirley, 182).
A narrator describes how the villagers act as they sit around the clearing, waiting to see who will win the lottery. They greeted each other and exchanged bits of gossip, but they did not show any remorse or sympathy for the victims. This demonstrates how evil human beings can be, even in a seemingly idyllic setting.
The narrator also discusses how the lottery is a form of self-interest, as people purchase tickets because they want to increase their chances of winning. However, the odds of winning are very low. In addition, the entertainment value of buying a ticket might not be enough to offset the disutility of a monetary loss. In addition, the money spent on tickets is an opportunity cost that could be put toward other goals such as retirement or college tuition.