The story begins on the morning of June 27th. The weather is clear and sunny, indicative of a pleasant summer day.
The villagers gather in the square, located between the post office and the bank, around ten o'clock in the morning.
The village is small, consisting of about three hundred people, allowing the lottery to be completed in approximately two hours, ensuring everyone is home for noon dinner.
The Children
School is out for the summer, and a sense of freedom is palpable among the children.
Initially, the children gather quietly, but soon they engage in boisterous play, their conversations still revolving around school-related topics.
Bobby Martin fills his pockets with stones, and other boys, including Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix (pronounced "Dellacroy"), follow suit.
The boys create a pile of stones in a corner of the square and guard it.
The girls stand aside, observing the boys and talking amongst themselves, while the younger children play in the dust or stay close to their older siblings.
The Adults
The men gather, discussing topics such as planting, rain, tractors, and taxes, keeping their distance from the pile of stones, with subdued jokes and smiles.
The women, dressed in faded house dresses and sweaters, arrive and exchange gossip before joining their husbands.
The women call their children, who reluctantly come, often after being called several times. Bobby Martin initially evades his mother but is brought back by his father.
Mr. Summers and the Lottery
Mr. Summers, a jovial, round-faced man who runs the coal business, conducts the lottery, as well as other civic activities like square dances and the Halloween program.
Villagers feel sorry for him because he has no children and his wife is a scold.
He arrives with the black wooden box, causing a murmur among the villagers. Mr. Graves, the postmaster, accompanies him with a three-legged stool.
The stool is placed in the center of the square, and the black box is set on it. The villagers maintain a distance.
Mr. Martin and his oldest son, Baxter, assist Mr. Summers in steadying the box while he stirs the papers inside.
The Black Box and Tradition
The original paraphernalia for the lottery has been lost, and the current black box is quite old, predating even Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town.
Mr. Summers has suggested making a new box, but the villagers are hesitant to disrupt the tradition associated with the black box.
The box is rumored to contain pieces from the original box used when the village was first settled.
Each year, the box deteriorates further, showing splintered wood and faded color.
Lottery Procedures
Mr. Summers replaced the traditional wood chips with slips of paper to accommodate the growing population.
The slips of paper are prepared the night before the lottery by Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves and stored in the safe of Mr. Summers' coal company.
Throughout the year, the black box is stored in various locations, such as Mr. Graves' barn, the post office, or the Martin grocery.
Extensive preparations are required before the lottery can commence, including compiling lists of heads of families, households, and household members.
Mr. Summers is sworn in by the postmaster as the official of the lottery.
A recital and salute, once part of the ritual, have been discontinued over time.
Mrs. Hutchinson's Late Arrival
Mrs. Hutchinson arrives late, explaining she forgot the date, mistaking it for a day her husband was stacking wood. She was alerted by the absence of her children.
She makes her way through the crowd, excusing herself, with some villagers humorously noting her arrival.
Mr. Summers greets her, teasing her about almost starting without her, to which she responds with humor about leaving dishes in the sink.
Drawing Names
Mr. Summers begins the lottery by asking if everyone is present, noting Clyde Dunbar's absence due to a broken leg. His wife, Janey Dunbar, will draw for him, as he has no grown son to do so.
The Watson boy is drawing for his mother and himself.
Old Man Warner is present, marking his seventy-seventh lottery.
Mr. Summers explains the procedure: men come up and take a paper out of the box and keep it folded until everyone has had a turn.
Mr. Adams is the first to draw, followed by others in alphabetical order.
There's a sense of nervous anticipation among the villagers, with little conversation.
Superstitions and Concerns
Mrs. Delacroix remarks on how quickly the lotteries seem to come around.
Mr. Adams mentions that the north village is considering giving up the lottery, which Old Man Warner vehemently opposes, citing tradition and the saying "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon."
He fears abandoning the lottery will lead to societal degradation and hardship.
The Drawing and Accusations
After everyone has drawn, there is a pause before the slips of paper are opened.
The women begin to ask who has "it," and it's revealed that Bill Hutchinson has drawn the marked paper.
Tessie Hutchinson accuses Mr. Summers of not giving her husband enough time to choose, claiming it was unfair.
Other villagers dismiss her complaints, and Bill tells her to be quiet.
The Hutchinson Family
Mr. Summers explains that the drawing will now determine which member of the Hutchinson family has "it."
Tessie demands that her married daughter, Don and Eva, take their chance, but Mr. Summers clarifies that daughters draw with their husbands' families.
Bill confirms he has no other family except his children: Bill, Jr., Nancy, and little Dave.
Mr. Graves collects the Hutchinson family's slips and puts them back into the box.
Tessie continues to protest, insisting the process was unfair.
The Final Drawing
The Hutchinson family members draw slips from the box. Harry assists little Dave.
Nancy and Bill, Jr., draw, followed by Tessie and Bill.
The crowd is quiet, with a girl whispering, “I hope it's not Nancy."
Old Man Warner laments that people are not the way they used to be.
The Revelation
The papers are opened, and it is revealed that Tessie Hutchinson has the marked slip.
Nancy, Bill, Jr., and Dave's papers are blank.
Bill is forced to show Tessie's paper, which has a black spot on it.
The Stoning
Mr. Summers instructs everyone to finish quickly.
The villagers, despite having forgotten some of the original rituals, still remember to use stones.
Mrs. Delacroix selects a large stone, and Mrs. Dunbar gathers smaller ones.
Little Davy Hutchinson is given pebbles.
Tessie Hutchinson is left in a cleared space and protests that it isn't fair as the villagers move in on her.
A stone hits her on the head.
Old Man Warner urges everyone to continue.
Tessie screams, “It isn't fair, it isn't right,” before the villagers descend upon her.