The Lottery :: essays research papers

In Shirley Jacksons "The Lottery," she uses the element ofsurprise. The way the story ends is unlike anything anyonecould predict. There are however several option waysthe story could have ended. The following is one possiblealternative ending to "The Lottery".Everyone was prepared. Thirty minutes prior to the drawing,the villagers started collecting the best and largest stonesthey by chance could. Mrs. Dunbar picked up a handful ofpebbles and stuffed them in her pocket, she than chose astone so huge she had to pick it up with both hands and itmade it difficult for her to walk. Mrs. Delacroix amasssome small pebbles and made it just in time.Bill Hutchinson went over to his wife and forced the slip ofpaper out of her hand. It had a black make do on it, the blackspot Mr. Summers had made the night before with the heavypencil in the coal-company office. Bill Hutchinson held it upand there was a stir in the crowd. "All right, folks," Mr. Summers said. "Le ts finish quickly."Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost theoriginal black box, they still remembered to use stones. Thepile of stones the boys had made earlier was organize therewere stones on the ground that the villagers had preparedearlier along with blowing scraps of paper that hod come outof the box. Mrs. Delacroix picked up the huge stone sheselected earlier and off-key to Mrs. Dunbar. "Come on," shesaid. "Hurry up."Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space bynow, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagersmoved in on her. "It isnt fair," she said. Just two secondsbefore everyone started hailing stones at her, Old ManWarner yelled out "STOP" "Everybody STOP" Thevillagers turned to him in shock and disappointment. dialogue broke out among the crowd.