Table of ContentsCharacter Analysis of Tessie Hutchinson in the storyHow the community made Tessie a vulnerable person?ConclusionThe Lottery is a story written by Shirley Jackson that focuses on – as the name suggests – the lottery. The twist in the story is that the individual selected as the winner is sentenced to death. In The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, the author explores many different themes such as scapegoating, mob mentality, tradition, and reliance on chance. One of the central themes of the story is how an individual can be vulnerable to persecution by a group of individuals. This theme of the story is explored primarily through the character analysis of Tessie Hutchinson, and subtly through the Watson and Dunbar families as well. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayTessie Hutchinson Character Analysis in the StoryTessie Hutchinson quickly stands out from the crowd when she arrives late; she has a kind of menacing aura around her. She admits to having forgotten what day it is, to having “forgotten what day it was”. The town treats his delay with light jokes, but it is implied that it was spoken of "in voices just loud enough to be heard in the crowd." And on a day when the entire community is focused on the lottery, this oversight seems inappropriate. Tess Hutchinson has previously been described as someone who is happy to participate in the lottery, but she is not as attached to all the traditions as the lottery seems to be. to strengthen. This refusal to conform to all the different traditions sets her apart, almost like an outcast, and supports the central theme of the idea; especially when she starts to object that Bill "didn't have enough time to get the paper he wanted" and that it "wasn't fair" (which she often repeats). Besides breaking the rules, she also stands out because she seems very excited about entering the lottery; While the other women wait and watch as their husbands draw, Tessie calls Bill and says, “Come up there, Bill.” The narrator also notes at the beginning of the story how strange and upsetting the atmosphere is, as if people have accepted that someone they know could die. “[the men] stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were calm, and they smiled rather than laughed.” Compared to the solemn atmosphere, Tess Hutchinson seems almost alive. The annual lottery breaks down bonds layer by layer within the community and rebuilds them. During the initial lottery selection, each family is pitted against each other. The bond that exists in the community dissolves into smaller bonds, namely that each family is a unit. This rupture can be seen when Tessie Hutchinson protests, saying, “You [Mr. Summers] didn't give him enough time to take the assignments he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair!'. She is willing to sacrifice someone else's family if her family is safe. After the initial lottery, the community comes together, isolating the chosen family; as evidenced by the community that came together to let him know that “they all took the same chance.” The second lottery draw; where everyone draws their own sheet of paper shows us how the family which was considered as a unit now breaks down into a smaller unit; each member of the family is now left to their own devices. Tessie Hutchinson even goes so far as to try to make her daughter and her husband-in-law choose by shouting "Make them trytheir luck! », knowing that the girls draw with their husband’s family. Instead of trying to protect her daughter, Tessie acts as an individual to increase her chances of not being selected in the lottery. Later, we realize that Tessie Hutchinson is the winner of the lottery; here we can see how her family re-assimilated with the rest of the community to form a great bond while isolating Tessie. Tessie is removed from the group and the town community – including her family – gathers, stoning her to death. How did the community make Tessie a vulnerable person? The community ceases to view Tessie Hutchinson as a valued member of the community and she is seen as a vulnerable person. obligation as soon as it is revealed that she is the one who won. “Alright, friends. » said Mr. Summers. “Let’s get this over with quickly.” She goes from being someone's wife, someone's mother, to being a sacrificial lamb that year. Mr. Summers asking people to “finish quickly” shows the lack of empathy among residents; it also shows how people feel that such a barbaric act is so natural, so inevitable, that to question it would be a sin. The expulsion of Tess Hutchinson shows to what extent the inhabitants are detached from this ritual. Tessie's death is not seen as a tragedy but as an inconvenient necessity. She is so isolated from the community that someone even hands a rock to her own son, Dave Hutchinson. The people of the community are so blind to tradition that they mock newer towns and younger people by abolishing the lottery; they have based their entire lives on it and breaking with the institution of the lottery seems something so inconceivable. We can see that no amount of pleading from the selected individual will change the mind of the community. Although the community breathes a sigh of relief when little Dave Hutchinson is not the winner; there is no guarantee that they would not have killed him if his ID had been marked. Townspeople would happily turn on anyone – their friends, their neighbors and even their family – indicating that they blindly follow traditions. The older generation, especially Old Man Warner - whom Jackson placed in history as a benchmark for tradition - is very skeptical about abandoning the lottery tradition; although it is the only one to come close to a “rational” explanation of the lottery; it is so ancient that all he knows about it is that it is linked to abundance every year. "Lottery in June, corn will soon be heavy". People who share the same sentiments as Old Man Warner – the older generation – fear scarcity: they fear returning to a life of hunter-gatherers and not farmers. “Next thing you know, they'll want to go back to living in caves, no one working anymore, living like that for a while. Before…soon. Next thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns. Because of this fear of regressing towards primitive ages; Old Man Warner does not want to entertain the idea of ​​change because he is a metaphor for tradition. “A bunch of crazy idiots,” he said. “Listening to young people, nothing is good enough for them. As demonstrated above, the townspeople have such strong conviction towards the lottery that they would place the lottery above all others. When Tessie Hutchinson is late for the lottery, Mrs. Delacroix reassures her that she arrived on time by saying, "But you are on time." Up there, they are still talking. From this interaction we can deduce that these two women appear to be friends. However, when Tessie Hutchinson is chosen as the lottery winner, it is worth noting that “Mrs.”.