In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," Tessie Hutchinson is first characterized as a harried housewife who has simply forgotten that it is lottery day until she notices her husband and children are gone. It is possible that her forgetfulness is either intentional or a subconscious effort to avoid the lottery. She hurries to the gathering, greets her neighbors, and makes a lighthearted joke about her tardiness. She urges her husband to quickly take his slip of...
In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," Tessie Hutchinson is first characterized as a harried housewife who has simply forgotten that it is lottery day until she notices her husband and children are gone. It is possible that her forgetfulness is either intentional or a subconscious effort to avoid the lottery. She hurries to the gathering, greets her neighbors, and makes a lighthearted joke about her tardiness. She urges her husband to quickly take his slip of paper, cracking another joke that amuses those standing near. Her levity quickly comes to an end, however, once she sees that the lottery will claim one of her family members. She adopts a protesting, defensive tone. Getting no support from her husband or any of the crowd, she becomes quieter, yet insistent that the proceedings aren't being conducted fairly. Her defiance intensifies, and her husband has to pry her paper from her hand. Tessie Hutchinson does not accept her fate uncomplainingly, which makes her death by stoning all the more unsettling at the story's conclusion.
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