"One of the most terrifying aspects of publishing stories and books is that they are going to be read, and read by strangers."   Shirley Jackson

 

	It had simply never occurred to me that these millions and millions of people might be so far from being uplifted that they would sit down and write me letters I was downright scared to open; of the three-hundred-odd letters that I received that summer I can count only thirteen that spoke kindly to me, and they were mostly from friends. Even my mother scolded me: "Dad and I did not care at all for your story in The New Yorker," she wrote sternly, "it does seem, dear, that this gloomy kind of Story is what all you young people think about these days. Why don't you write some-thing to cheer people up?"
Other Stories by S. Jackson The Haunting of Hill House We Have Always Lived in the Castle The Witchcraft of Salem Village Just an Ordinary Day The Lottery and Other Stories Back to Main	Curiously, there are three main themes which dominate the letters of that first summer - three themes which might be identified as bewilder-ment, speculation, and plain old-fashioned abuse. In the years since then, during which the story has been anthologized, dramatized, televised, and even - in one completely mystifying transformation - made into a ballet, the tenor of letters I receive has changed. I am addressed more politely, as a rule, and the letters largely confine themselves to questions like what does this Story mean? The generaT tone of the early letters, however, was a kind of wide-eyed, shocked innocence. People at first were not so much concerned with what the story meant; what they wanted to know was where these lotteries were held, and whether theycould go there and watch. "The Lottery" study questions: What is the tone at the beginning of the story? How are the men depicted in the beginning of the story? How are the women depicted in the beginning of the story? How do the villagers treat the black box? Why did Mr. Summers use paper slips instead of wooden chips in the lottery. How is the lottery different than what it used to be? How was the lottery conducted? What was Mrs. Hutchinson doing before she came to the town meeting? Does this have any significance? Who is Old Man Warner? What attitude does he represent? "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon." What meanings can be derived from this? Why do the people do the lottery? Why does Mrs. Hutchinson keep saying that it isn't fair? Who is Davy Hutchinson? Does he represent more than just a child?