In the short story, “The Lottery”, Shirley Jackson illustrates the duality of human nature through the characteristics of Mr. Summers, Mrs. Delacroix, and Tessie Hutchinson. The story starts with an enthusiastic and lively environment as Mr. Summers arrives to begin the annual game, “The Lottery”. He is a “jovial man”, greeting the villagers with smiles and waves, even though he is carrying in his hand a box that means death to someone in the community. On one hand, he appears to be a responsible civic leader in his “clean white shirt and blue jeans”, caring for his neighbors by doing the “proper” ritual required by the tradition. This tradition that he works so hard to continue is in actuality murder. Rather than building up his community,…show more content… When Tessie arrives late to the lottery, she chats and laughs with Mrs. Delacroix, who is clearly her friend. Ironically, Tessie taps her friend “on the arm as a farewell” as she finds her seat next to her family. When the game starts, Mrs. Delacroix quickly forgets her relationship with Tessie. By the end of the story, Mrs. Delacroix is the first one to reach the pile of stones to strike Tessie down. Furthermore, she chooses a stone that will bring the most pain, “a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands.” In the same manner, Tessie herself shows two incongruent characteristics. When she arrives at the event, she is so nonchalant about the Lottery that she comments that she “forgot what day it was.” Likewise, she jokes when her husband is called to draw his paper, making the people in the audience laugh. The author portrays her as someone who is happy to be participating in this yearly ritual. However, as soon as her family’s lot is chosen, she complains that the game is unfair. She previously hurries her husband to his turn by saying, “Get up there, Bill”, but then decides that he was not given enough time. In this story, the author demonstrates the selfish tendency of the human race when faced with a personal
