Critical Reading Tasks: Shirley Jackson's
"The Lottery"
I. Initial Reaction and Comprehension
1. First Impressions
After reading the story, jot down your immediate reactions. What emotions did you feel?
What surprised or unsettled you? What questions do you have?
2. Plot Summary
In your own words, briefly summarize the key events of the story. What happens in the
beginning, middle, and end?
3. Key Characters
○ List the characters mentioned in the story. Who is the most significant?
○ What do we learn about them through their actions, dialogue, and interactions?
○ Choose two characters and compare their reactions to the lottery. How do their
behaviors reflect the theme of conformity vs. individuality?
○ Analyze Tessie Hutchinson’s behavior. Is she portrayed as a victim of the system
or complicit in it?
○ Discuss the role of Mr. Summers and the other villagers. How do they represent
authority, tradition, and peer pressure?
4. Setting the Scene
Describe the setting of the story. How does Jackson create a sense of normalcy and
calm? What details are significant in building the atmosphere?
II. Close Reading and Textual Analysis
5. Interpreting the Title
Before re-reading, consider the word "lottery". What are its typical connotations? How
does Jackson subvert these expectations?
6. Symbolism
○ Identify and interpret symbols such as the black box, slips of paper, and the
stones.
○ What does the black box represent, and how does its condition reflect the town's
attitude toward the ritual?
○ What do the stones symbolize in relation to the town's violence?
○ How does the peaceful setting contrast with the violent conclusion?
7. Irony
Identify examples of verbal, situational, or dramatic irony. How does Jackson use
irony to heighten the story's impact or deliver a message?
8. Point of View and Narrative Voice
What point of view is the story written in? How does this narrative perspective affect our
understanding of the events?
9. Diction and Tone
Analyze Jackson’s language choices. What tone is established, and how does it shift
throughout the story? Provide examples of words or phrases that help set this tone.
10.Dialogue Analysis
Examine key pieces of dialogue. What do the villager’s words reveal about their values,
beliefs, and relationship to the lottery?
III. Interpretation and Thematic Exploration
11.Identifying Themes
What central themes does the story explore? Consider:
● Tradition
● Conformity
● Scapegoating
● Violence
● Individual vs. society
Support your answers with textual evidence.
12.The Role of Tradition
Why do the villagers continue the lottery? What commentary does the story offer about
the dangers of blind obedience?
13.Individual Responsibility
To what extent are the villagers personally responsible for the outcome of the lottery?
Discuss collective behavior vs. individual moral choice.
14.Social Commentary
How might this story serve as a critique of society or human nature? What systems,
institutions, or behaviors could Jackson be challenging?
15.Contemporary Connections
Can you relate events in the story to modern practices, traditions, or societal issues?
What similarities or warnings does the story offer?
IV. Critical Thinking and Discussion
16.Challenging Assumptions
Did the story challenge any of your beliefs or assumptions? In what way?
17.Ethical Implications
Discuss the morality of the lottery ritual. Can such actions ever be justified in the name
of tradition or community?
18.Alternative Interpretations
Explore different interpretations of the story. Could the lottery symbolize different things
depending on perspective?
19.Personal Response
How did the story make you feel? What lasting impression did it leave?
20.Deeper Exploration Prompts
● What is Shirley Jackson saying about society and human nature?
● How does the story critique blind obedience to tradition?
● In what ways does the story explore scapegoating?
● How does the shocking ending affect your view of the village and its customs?
● Would the lottery system work in a modern society? Why or why not?
● Is the village an example of a dystopia? Explain your reasoning.
● How would the story change if told from Tessie Hutchinson’s perspective?
● Does "The Lottery" challenge ideas of progress and modernity?
● What modern traditions or behaviors resemble the lottery in terms of unexamined
conformity?
V. Creative and Reflective Tasks
21.Creative Writing: Alternate Ending
Write a version of the story where the villagers choose to reject the lottery. How does
this affect the story’s message?
22.Modernization Task
Reimagine the story in a modern context—school, workplace, online community. How
would the ritual adapt and what would it represent?