The lottery is a popular pastime in many countries. In the United States, for example, more than 80 billion dollars are spent on lotteries every year — more than on any other form of gambling. Yet, despite this enormous sum of money being spent on lotteries, the odds of winning are relatively low. In addition, winners often pay a significant tax on their winnings, which can significantly reduce their actual net worth. Moreover, lottery proceeds tend to go into consumption rather than investment.
The word lottery comes from the Dutch noun “lot” or “fate”, which means fate or chance. The earliest lotteries were medieval in origin and used a draw of lots to determine the winner, usually an individual or group. The word lottery is also related to the Latin verb “latum”, meaning “to pull”. The first modern state-sponsored lotteries in Europe were held in the 16th century. By the late 18th century, they had become increasingly popular in the United States and Canada.
In the story, The Lottery, Shirley Jackson examines what happens when people lose their sense of humanity and allow blind ritual and tradition to control society. The villagers in the story, whose actions are largely based on the rules of a lottery, are unable to think of alternative logics and instead choose to blindly follow the rules of the lottery. In their desire to adhere to the lottery’s rules, the villagers are able to commit acts of violence and hatred against each other without hesitation.
As the villagers gather in the village square, Mr. Summers, a representative of authority in the story, brings out an old black box. He begins to stir the papers inside it. Each family then places a piece of paper into the box.
When the draws are complete, the villagers begin to cheer. Mrs. Hutchinson’s paper is drawn and she reaches into the black box to select a stone. The villagers cheer, but then Mrs. Hutchinson begins to cry.
The villagers in the story are not willing to question their lottery traditions and therefore do not realize that there is no actual advantage for them to participate in this annual event. They are not able to understand that the lottery is simply a way to maintain order and keep the village in line with Mosaic law.
Those who win the lottery may spend all of their prize money on toys, or they might invest it and make more than double in two years. Regardless of what they do with the money, however, they are likely to feel better about their lives than those who did not win. The logical solution would be to create a society where the chances of winning are more evenly distributed. This would require a substantial amount of money to be raised. Instead, politicians turn to the lottery because it is a source of easy and painless revenue. This approach has led to unintended consequences, however. While most lottery players are not problem gamblers, many low-income people purchase tickets, which can have negative social effects.