A Review of the Book ‘The Lottery’ by Jill Jackson

Currently, 37 states and the District of Columbia offer state lotteries. A lottery is a form of gambling that involves drawing numbers in order to win prizes. It can be a financial game in which people pay for tickets to win cash or goods, or it may be used to distribute units of housing in a subsidized apartment building or kindergarten placements. A lottery can also be used to decide the fate of criminal cases or to select jury members. A lottery is often a controversial subject, with many critics calling it an addictive and harmful form of gambling. Others, however, argue that it raises needed funds for government programs and can be used to promote social and civic activities.

Although the casting of lots for determining decisions and determining fates has a long history in human culture, using lotteries to distribute money or items has only recently become popular. The financial lottery is the most well-known, with players paying a small amount of money for the chance to win a large prize. Other forms of lotteries are less obvious, such as a process for selecting military conscripts or commercial promotions in which property is given away through a random process.

The central theme of the short story The Lottery’ is the power that tradition holds over society. Jackson uses imagery and symbolism throughout the story to show how easily people can be persuaded by a long-held belief, even if that belief is completely without merit. She uses something as simple as the village square, where the lottery takes place, to depict how normal and everyday a part of life it is for the villagers. Just like square dances and teen clubs, the lottery is just another thing that happens in the town.

Jackson also shows how difficult it is for a person to break free of a tradition. The villagers are so attached to their ritual of killing someone that they cannot see any other way to do it. Anyone who tries to question the lottery is labeled as crazy or unwavering in their faith in tradition.

Despite the popularity of the lottery, it has some serious issues. It is often criticized as an expensive form of gambling that has negative consequences for the poor and problem gamblers. Furthermore, it is seen as a form of coercive taxation because the government gets a percentage of all ticket sales. Moreover, most winners are forced to spend their winnings very quickly and end up going bankrupt in the process. In addition, the revenue generated by the lottery has a tendency to expand dramatically at first but then level off and decline. This has led to a steady increase in the introduction of new games, such as video poker and keno, in an effort to maintain and increase revenues. The constant introduction of new games is also problematic because it can cause confusion and erode public support for the lottery. This is especially true if the new games are not being advertised adequately.