Who has read the American short story "Lottery"?

Shirley? Jackson

The morning of June 27th was clear and cloudless, with fresh warmth in midsummer. Flowers bloom luxuriantly and grass grows green. At about ten o'clock, people in the village began to gather in the square between the post office and the bank. In some towns, the lottery has to take two days because there are too many people, and it will start on June 2, but in this village, there are only 3 people, and the whole lottery will not last more than two hours at most, so it can start at ten o'clock in the morning and still let the villagers go home for lunch on time.

of course, the children are the first to gather. Recently, the school is on summer vacation, and the sense of freedom has landed uneasily on most people; They often get together quietly for a while before they go crazy. They are still talking about schools and teachers, books and punishment. Bobby? Martin has filled his pocket with stones, and other boys soon learned his appearance and chose the smoothest stone; Bobby and Harry? Jones and Dick? Della Crolais-everyone in the village pronounced this surname "Della Coeroli"-finally piled up a big stone pile in the corner of the square, and they guarded it from other boys. The girls stood aside, chatting with each other, and turned to see their brothers and sisters swarming or snuggling.

soon, men began to get together. They looked at their children and talked about farming, rain, tractors and taxes. They stood together, far away from the pile of stones in the corner. Their jokes were a little monotonous, and they just smiled calmly. The women, wearing faded casual clothes and sweaters, came soon after their husbands. They greeted each other, chatted for a word or two, and then joined their husbands. Soon, these women standing beside their husbands began to call their children. The children came reluctantly and had to call them four or five times. Bobby? Martin dodged his mother's hand, smiled and ran back to the stone pile. His father shouted sharply, and Bobby came quickly and stood between his father and his brother.

this lottery-like the square dance, the youth club and the Halloween program-was hosted by Mr. summers. He has time and energy to devote himself to civic activities.

He is a round-faced, happy man. He runs a coal business. People feel sorry for him because he has no children and his wife is such a bitch. When he came to the square with a black wooden box, the villagers whispered to each other. He waved and shouted, "It's a little late today, folks." Mr. Greus, the postmaster general, followed him, holding a three-legged stool, which was placed in the middle of the square, and Mr. Summers put the black box on it.

The villagers kept their distance and left some room between themselves and the stools. When Mr. summers said, "which one of you people wants to help me?" At that time, two people hesitated. Mr Martin and his eldest son, Baxter, came forward and firmly grasped the box on the stool, while Mr Summers stirred up the pieces of paper inside.

The props that were really used for lottery were lost a long time ago, and now the black box on the stool was put into use even before the birth of the old man Warner, the oldest person in the town. Mr. summers often tells villagers to make a new box, but no one cares about it, and even it has become a tradition to replace it with this black box.

It is said that this box is now made of fragments of a box before it, and that one was made when the first people came here to settle down. Every year, after the lottery, Mr. summers will start talking about the new box again, and every year the problem goes away. The black box is getting more and more worn out year by year: up to now, it is no longer pure black, and one side is badly broken, showing the true color of wood, while in some places it is either faded or discolored.

Mr. Martin and his eldest son Baxter held the black box firmly on the stool until Mr. Summers thoroughly stirred the paper with his hands. Because many ceremonies have been forgotten or abandoned, Mr. Summers succeeded in replacing pieces of wood that have been used for generations with pieces of paper.

using wooden blocks, Mr. summers argued that it was good to be young in the village, but now that the population has exceeded 3, it is likely to continue to grow. At this time, it is necessary to use some materials that are easier to put in black boxes. The night before the lottery, Mr. Summers and Mr. Greus made pieces of paper, put them in boxes, and then took them to Mr. Summers' coal company warehouse to lock them up until Mr. Summers was ready the next morning, and then took them to the square.

on other days of the year, the box is put aside, sometimes here and sometimes there; It spent one year in Mr. Greus's barn, and another year it settled in the post office. Sometimes it is put on the shelf of Martin's grocery store, and then it has been there all the time.

before Mr. summers announces the lottery, there are many things to do, big and small. There are all kinds of lists to sort out-the heads of families, the heads of households in each family, and the members of each family. There is an oath of office given to Mr. summers by the postmaster as a lottery official;

At the same time, some people remember that all along, some kind of reading meeting held by lottery officials was just so-so. Cantonal hymns should be sung once a year on time; Some people think that lottery officials should stand like this when they speak and sing, while others think that they should walk in the crowd, but in the past many years, this part of the ceremony has been allowed to be abolished.

In the past, there was a salute ceremony in which lottery officials addressed everyone who came to draw lots, but this has changed with time. Now only officials themselves feel it necessary to have a word with everyone who came. Mr. summers did a very good job of all this; He was wearing a neat white shirt and blue jeans, and his hand was naturally placed on the black box. When he talked endlessly with Mr Greus and the Martin family, he seemed very serious and polite.

Just when Mr. Summers finally finished his speech and turned to face the assembled villagers, Mrs. Hutchinson hurried from the path to the square, her sweater was over her shoulders, and when she came to the back of the crowd, it fell to the ground.

"I forgot all about the day," she said to Mrs. Della Crolais standing next to her, and they both laughed softly. "I thought my husband was out piling wood," Mrs. Hutchinson continued.

"Then I looked out of the window, and the children were gone. Then I remembered that today was the 27th, so I trotted off." She wiped her hands on an apron, and Mrs. Della Crolais said, "But you're just in time. They are still talking there. "

Mrs. Hutchinson craned her neck to look over and found her husband and children standing in the front row. She patted Mrs. Della Crolais's arm as a farewell, and then began to walk through the crowd. People made way for her happily: two or three people said in a voice just audible in the crowd, "You, madam, are coming, Hutchinson," "Bill, she finally came."

Mrs. Hutchinson has arrived at her husband's side, and Mr. Summers has been waiting for her. Now he says happily. "I thought we were going to lottery without you, Tessie." Mrs. Hutchinson began to laugh. She said, "I can't leave those dishes in the sink, can I? Hey, don't you think, Joe?" A chuckle spread through the crowd, and people returned to their original positions after Mrs. Hutchinson arrived.

"all right, all right." Mr. summers said seriously, "I think we'd better get started and finish this, and then we can go back to work." Who didn't come? "

Mr. summers looked at the list. Clyde? Dunbar. " He said. "That's right. He broke his leg, didn't he? Who will draw lots for him? "

"I think I'll do it," said a woman. Mr summers turned to look at her. "The wife draws lots for her husband." Mr. summers said. "Don't you have a grown-up son to do it for you, Jenny?" Although Mr. Summers and everyone in the village know her answer very well, it is a routine to ask such a question formally in the lottery. Mr. summers waited, and when Mrs. Dunbar answered, he showed a polite attention.

"Horace can't, he's only sixteen." Mrs Dunbar said regretfully. "I think I have to cover for my husband this year."

"ok." Mr. summers said. He made a mark on the list he was holding. Then he said, "Is Watson going to draw lots this year?"

a tall boy in the crowd raised his hand. "Here," he said. "I want to draw lots for my mother and myself." He blinked uneasily, and when several people shouted in the crowd, "Boy, good luck." "I'm glad to see that your mother has such a man to do it." He bowed his head.

"well," said Mr. summers, "I think everyone is here. Is the old man Warner here? "

Mr. summers cleared his throat and the crowd became quiet. He looked at the list. "Is everything ready?" He shouted. "Now, I'm going to call the roll-first of all, the heads of families-and then the men come up and smoke a piece of paper in the box. Hold the paper in your hand before everyone turns, and don't read it. Is that clear? "

People have done the lottery several times. Just listen to the explanation and you will understand: most people are quiet. They lick their lips and don't look around. Then Mr. Summers held up a hand and said, "Adams." A man pushed his way through the crowd and stepped forward.

"Hi, Steve." Mr. summers said, and then Mr. ADAMS said, "hi, Joe." They grinned uneasily and solemnly at each other. Then Mr. Adams reached into the black box and took out a piece of paper folded in half. He grasped the corner of the piece of paper tightly, and at the same time turned and hurried back to the crowd. There he stood a little apart from his family, and he didn't look down.

"Allen." Mr. summers said. "Anderson ... bentham."

"There seems to be no long interval between these two lottery games." Mrs. Della Crolais, standing in the back row, said to Mrs. Greus.

"The last lottery seems to be last week."

"Time really flies." -said Mrs Greus.

"Clark ... Della Crolais"

"It's my husband's turn." Mrs. Della Crolais said. She held her breath when her husband stepped forward.

"Dunbar," Mr. Summers said, and Mrs. Dunbar calmly walked to the box. At the same time, one woman said, "Go, Jenny," and another woman said, "No, she did."

"It's our turn next." Mrs Greus said. She watched Mr. Greus come around the box, solemnly saluted Mr. Summers, and then selected a piece of paper from the box. Now, all the men in the crowd are holding a small piece of paper folded in half in their big hands, and they are turning it over uneasily. Mrs Dunbar stood with her two sons. Mrs Dunbar took a piece of paper.

"Hubert Hutchinson."

"Hurry up, Bill," said Mrs. Hutchinson, and everyone around her laughed.

"Jones."

"They did say," Mr. Adams said to the old Warner man standing next to him, "that they were discussing giving up lottery activities in the northern village."

The old man Warner snorted. "A bunch of crazy idiots," he said. "Listen to those young people, nothing is good. Next thing you know, they will want to go back to the caves and live. People will stop working and just live for a while. There is an old saying,' When you lottery in June, the corn ripens quickly.' First of all, you know, we all have to eat stewed chickweed and acorns. Lottery is always there, "he added angrily. "Looking at young Joe? It's bad enough that Summers stood there joking with everyone. "

"lottery has stopped in some places." Mrs. ADAMS said.

"That will only bring trouble," the old man Warner said firmly. "A bunch of little idiots."

"Martin." Bobby? Martin watched his father go forward. "Overtek ... Percy."

"I hope they can hurry," Mrs Dunbar said to her eldest son. "I hope they can hurry."

"You are ready to run and tell your father," said Mrs. Dunbar.

Mr. Summers called his name, then stepped forward solemnly and picked out a piece of paper from the box. Then he shouted, "Warner."

"This is the seventy-seventh year that I have won the lottery," said the old man Warner as he walked through the crowd.

"seventy-seventh time."

The tall boy Watson clumsily walked through the crowd. Someone said, "Take it easy, Jack," and then Mr. Summers said, "Take it easy, son."

"Giannini."

After that, there was a long pause and silence until Mr. Summers held his paper in the air and said, "All right, everyone." For a minute, people did not move, and then all the pieces of paper were opened. Suddenly, all the women immediately began to talk, as if they had been rescued.

"Who is it? ""who has it? " "Is it Dunbar's house?" "Is this the Watson family?" Then these voices began to say, "It's Hutchinson. It's bill. ""Bill? Hutchinson got it. "

People began to look around for Hutchinson's family. Bill? Hutchinson is standing quietly, staring down at the paper in his hand. Suddenly. Tessie? Hutchinson shouted at Mr. Summers. "You didn't give him enough time to pick the pieces of paper he wanted. I saw it. This is not fair! "

"Don't be such a sore loser, Tessie." Mrs. Della Crolais shouted, and Mrs. Greus also said, "We all had the same chance."

"Shut up, Tessie," Bill? Hutchinson said.

"all right, everyone," Mr. summers said, "it was done quite quickly before, but now we have to hurry up so as to finish it on time." He looked at the next list. "Bill," he said, "you draw lots for the Hutchinson family. Are there any other households in Hutchinson's family? "

"and don and EVA," Mrs. Hutchinson shouted. "Let them try their luck!"

"The daughter draws lots with her husband's family, Tessie," Mr. Summers said politely. "You should know this as well as everyone else."

"it's not fair," said Tessie.

"I don't think so, Joe." Bill? Hutchinson said with regret. "My daughter draws lots with her husband's family; That's fair. I have no other relatives except the children. "

"So, you draw lots for the family," explained Mr. Summers, "and you draw lots for the family. Right? "

"yes," bill? Hutchinson said.

"How many children are there, Bill?" Mr. summers asked formally.

"three," bill? Hutchinson said.

"Little Bill, Nancy and Little Dave. There is also Tessie and me. " "Well, then," said Mr. Summers. "Harry, did you get all their tickets back?"

Mr. Greus nodded and held up a piece of paper. "then, put them in the box," Mr. summers commanded. "Take Bill's and put it in."

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