The lottery is an activity where a group of people buy tickets and then get selected in a random drawing for a prize. It’s a form of gambling and it can be used for public or private money-raising. Typically, the winner receives a cash prize. Some lotteries are run by governments and others are privately owned. Some lotteries offer only a small chance of winning, while others have much higher payouts.
In this short story, the lottery is a symbol of human weakness and deceit. It has been a tradition in this village for years, yet no one seems to question its negative impact on the community. The name of Mr. Summers’ colleague, Mr. Graves, is also an example of hypocrisy and wickedness. They are both assistants in activities of the lottery and they are doing this in order to make a living.
The most common way to play the lottery is by buying a ticket with a set of numbers, most commonly between 1 and 59. You can pick these numbers yourself or you can let the computer randomly select them for you. Most modern lotteries will allow you to mark a box or section on your playslip to indicate that you accept whatever numbers are picked for you.
Historically, many states held lotteries as an alternative to traditional taxes and were popular for raising funds for everything from town fortifications to churches. Moreover, early America was short on revenue and lotteries were a painless way to raise money for public goods without enraging an anti-tax electorate.