The Lottery Rhetorical Analysis

Analytical Essay: Option Two

The characters and the dialogue represents that the villagers dislike drawing. They also don’t want the drawing to be discontinued. Several examples are given of why they dislike the lottery. There are also several showing why they enjoy the lottery. Overall, the villagers dislike the lottery and the idea of the lottery.

The characters throughout the story widely vary in attitude and dialogue. The overall vibe displayed by the town was nervousness. A few examples of this feeling are given when the Watson boy went up and when Steve Adams accepted his card. When Jack Watson walked to grab his card some people in the crowd had to remind him not to be nervous, this implies there’s something to be nervous about. Steve Adams and Mr. Graves also have a moment where the text says “They grinned at one another humorlessly and nervously,” again, bringing up the seriousness of this ceremony. Mrs. Delacroix also mentions that it “Seems like we got through with the last one only last week.” This comment shows that the lottery isn’t something small, they have strong feelings along with the annual event.

Judging by the nervousness shown by almost every character, there isn’t much enthusiasm within the scene.

When each person walks up for their ticket, many comments are made about how hastily all of them returned to the crowd. Mrs. Delacroix is said to “hold her breath” when her husband drew his card. Before even finding out what the purpose of the lottery is, no one seems to want to be involved in the process. Once, when Mr. Summers asked for help with the box, there was hesitation before only two people stepped forward. Also, before Mr. Summers was there, it seemed to be more of a day off, everyone was talking and the kids were playing. Once Mr. Summers got there everything went silent and became

serious.
Although there are few examples of enthusiasm, there are still signs of entertainment. The villagers obviously want the drawing to continue, they show no opposition to throwing the stones at Mrs. Hutchinson. When Mrs. Hutchinson tries to prove that her husband didn’t have enough time to chose, no one takes her side or supports her. Mr. Warner also insists that the tradition be continued. He refers to the other village as a “pack of crazy fools” for considering quitting the lottery. The kids also seem excited by the whole process. They run to gather rocks and participate in the throwing. I’d say that the villagers aren’t intending on stopping their tradition.
Now knowing the preceding information, the villagers definitely have a love hate relationship with the idea of the lottery. There a several reasons representing their dislike. They don’t seem to be excited, but also don’t hate it. But, I wouldn’t say they dislike the lottery. I would probably say that they dislike the process of the drawing.