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Read this excerpt from "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.

Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones. The pile of stones the boys had made earlier was ready; there were stones on the ground with the blowing scraps of paper that had come out of the box. Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Mrs. Dunbar. “Come on,” she said. “Hurry up.”

Mrs. Dunbar had small stones in both hands, and she said, gasping for breath, “I can’t run at all. You’ll have to go ahead and I’ll catch up with you.”

The children had stones already, and someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles.

Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her. “It isn’t fair,” she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head.

Old Man Warner was saying, “Come on, come on, every-one.” Steve Adams was in the front of the crowd of villagers, with Mrs. Graves beside him.

By the end of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," how does the contrast between the characters’ view of the lottery and that of readers' impact the story?

A.Because the characters view the lottery as an important annual ritual, while readers view it as outdated and dull, it gives the story a soothing tone.

B.Because the characters’ view the lottery as acceptable, while readers view it as horrific, it creates shock and suspense over Tessie's fate.

C.Because the characters view the lottery as dangerous, while readers see it as exciting, it fuels confusion and outrage over Tessie's behavior.

D.Because the characters view the lottery as fun and enjoyable, while readers see it as disappointing, it adds humor to the story.

User Emekm
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2 Answers

7 votes

Answer:

b

Step-by-step explanation:

b is the best possible answer

User Nimasmi
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3 votes

Answer:

B

It's not A bc the people themselves don't remember why they have the ritual, they just have it.

Not C bc the characters dont see it as exciting, it is suspenseful and on top of that, while reading it your first thought wouldn't be about how "exciting" it is.

Not D bc they don't view it as fun. There are people in the story who have said that some parts have discontinued the ritual bc it is inhumane.

User TomSjogren
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