A lottery is a game where winners are selected by drawing numbers or symbols, and winnings are paid out in the form of money. Lotteries can take many forms and have a wide range of prize amounts. Some are run by state or federal governments, and others are privately sponsored.
The story’s central problem is the villagers’ blind acceptance of outmoded traditions and rituals. The villagers do not even remember why they hold the lottery, but it is a tradition they cannot change. Their blind obedience makes it easy for them to murder Tessie. Their lust for wealth is also at odds with the biblical teaching that we should work hard to earn our money, and that it is laziness that leads to poverty.
Jackson’s scapegoating of Tessie is also disturbing, and shows how societies organized around a sense of shared tradition can persecute members to mark their boundaries. In this case, it is a woman, but men and women in other cultures have been persecuted for similar reasons to make their mark.
Critics argue that state-sponsored lotteries promote gambling addiction and have a large, regressive impact on lower income communities. They claim that the state’s desire to increase revenues runs at cross-purposes with its duty to protect the public welfare.