The Lottery is a story about people blindly following traditions and rituals without questioning them. This is a common problem in society. The fact that something has been done for many years does not make it right. Even worse, when someone challenges a tradition that is not working, they are often viewed as being strange or crazy. In this short story, Tessie is the one who realizes that this lottery is unfair, but it is too late. This is the most important message of this story.
In the United States, state governments control lotteries. They are considered monopolies and do not allow other companies to compete with them. Lottery profits are used for government programs. In the American Revolution Benjamin Franklin held a lottery to raise money for cannons that could defend Philadelphia against the British. The modern lottery has been in existence for about a century. New Hampshire introduced a lottery in 1964 and it quickly became popular. It was followed by New York and 12 other states.
A lottery is an arrangement by which prizes are allocated by chance, and the odds of winning depend on how many tickets a person buys and the number of those that are chosen. The term “lottery” is also applied to arrangements in which prizes, such as land or goods, are allocated by drawing lots, whether they are conducted in a public or private setting. Lotteries are not the only form of gambling, but they are the most widespread and commonly practiced.
