Read the excerpt from "The Lottery."
Explain what is learned by the actions of the characters in
the excerpt.
Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own
children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes.
They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the
corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather
than laughed. The women wearing faded house dresses
and sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk. They
greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they
went to join their husbands. Soon the women, standing by
their husbands, began to call to their children, and the
children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five
times. Bobby Martin ducked under his mother's grasping
hand and ran, laughing back to the pile of stones. His
father spoke up sharply, and Bobby came quickly and took
his place between his father and his oldest brother
The lottery was a happy occasion because the men told
jokes, the children laughed, and the women were able to
exchange gossip.
The lottery may not have been a happy occasion
because the men smiled rather than laughed, and the
children were apparently very hesitant to join their
families when it started
Most of the villagers were indifferent about the lottery
since it was held every year, and they already knew the
outcome this time,
Most of the villagers were ready to do away with the
lottery since it was an outdated custom, carried over
from years past
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