Reading Journal : The Lottery - Shirley Jackson

 Rating : 7.5/10

<The Lottery> is probably one of the most read short stories in the world. Set in a rural farm town, it depicts an annual event known as the 'Lottery', where a lottery is held in which the winner is stoned to death by the other villagers. This event, although according to the villagers is held for a good harvest in the autumn, is at first glance brutal and injust. There was this feeling that I got while reading the book, and it was when I finished the book that I knew it as repulsion. Stoning has been left in the past for decades, if not centuries, and it wasn't just the method that made me feel that way; this reminded me of another story that I read long ago, <The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas>. The two stories both feature a single individual's misery(death) for others' happiness, or 'scapegoating'. While both stories were surely captivating and interesting, I didn't get what the author was trying to say, and the themes weren't exactly ones that were pleasant to read, hence the rating above.