The evils of society exposed in The Lottery In "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, what seems to be an ordinary day in a small town takes a turn evil when a woman is stoned to death after "winning" the town lottery. The lottery in this story reflects an ancient tradition of sacrificing a scapegoat to encourage the growth of crops. But this story is not about the past, because through the city's actions, Jackson shows us many of the social ills that exist in our lives. In today's society we often have an overly casual attitude towards bad luck; Jackson shows us this aspect of human nature through the town's casual attitude towards the lottery. The men talk about “rain, tractors, and taxes” and the women gossip, always knowing that they are about to kill someone or perhaps even be killed (Jackson 863). The most important thing for them is to hurry up and finish so they can have lunch. Perhaps the feeling of being in a hurry makes what they are about to do easier; they don't have time to let it bother them. How many times in today's society do we hear the phrase "hurry up and get it over with"? Citizens appear to have mixed emotions about the lottery; they fear it and yet, to a very barbaric level, they enjoy it. By staying “away from the pile of stones” and keeping their distance from the black box, the villagers show their fear of the lottery (Jackson 863). However, once they find out who is going to be stoned, Tessie Hutchinson, they seem to actually enjoy the stoning. A villager picks up a stone so large he can barely carry it; someone even gives Tessie's youngest son a few pebbles to throw at his mother. Their general attitude towards stoning is summed up by the phrase “and then they were… at the center of the paper… of their family” (Jackson 867). In everyday life we ​​possess the same selfish attitude. represented in history. What is one of a child's favorite words? It's "mine!" We constantly say “you are better than me” and “every man for himself”. you realize we really are that selfish. “The Lottery” is “the symbol of a great number of social evils which mankind blindly perpetrates” (Friedman 108). It's funny that Jackson gives us a description of our nature, and not only do we not recognize it for what it is, it shocks us. Works Cited Jackson, Shirley. The Harper Anthology of Fiction Ed.New York: HarperCollins, 989.Friedman, Lenemgia Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1975.