Winning huge sums of money can make anyone happy, but unfortunately this type of bet will not be covered in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" Jackson. Jackson grabs the reader's attention by describing a typical day using words such as "flowery, clear, sunny skies" to trick the reader into believing in a calm, hopeful setting that eventually turns gloomy. In this short story, Jackson tells the story of a sinister and malevolent town in America that complies with treacherous acts of murder in order to keep its annual harvest tradition alive. Jackson exposes the monstrosity of the people within this society in this chilling story. It allows the reader to think and make them believe that the lottery is actually a good thing; until she implements some foreshadowing, to hint at the horror behind the lottery and its meaning. My goal in this article is to explain why Jackson's "The Lottery" is described as a horror story, and the importance that the townspeople placed on glorifying ritual murders, to appease an invisible force in exchange for a good harvest for the coming year. continue, I will discuss the importance Jackson placed on the protagonist Tessie Hutchinson. She was seen as someone riddled with hypocrisy and weakness. Mrs. Hutchinson is aware that the lottery is bad, but does nothing to eradicate it or stand on her own two feet. In its demise, the lesson of the lottery is that the more artificial you are, the more of a target you become. Sadly, the lottery became the death of Ms Hutchinson, when she was chosen as the winner of the annual event. To begin, Shirley Jackson talks about the importance of the black box and the relevance it has to the city's residents. The black box is seen as a symbol of fear and subjugation... middle of paper ...... short story of a town filled with hard-working people who contribute to the community and their families. But once a year, these kind and charming inhabitants of these towns turn into real monsters. He highlights the dangers of following a tradition that aims to kill their fellow citizens, even if they themselves have spent time getting to know each other and creating relationships. This ritual in this society does not favor anyone and allows the villagers to dismantle and kill without any remorse. Unfortunately, following blindly can get you killed in the end, which brings to life the all-time quote: "Do what you feel in your heart is right, because you will be criticized [for it] anyway." – Eleanor Roosevelt. Works Cited Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery”. A portable anthology. Ed. Janet E. Gardner. Boston: New York: Bedford/St Martin's, 2013. 242-249. Print.