In the following essay, Hall contends that the stories in The Lottery and Other Stories, originally published as The Lottery; or, The Adventures of James Harris, form a loosely connected larger work whose major theme is the sense in its main characters of being lost and alone.

In the following essay, Terry and Williams include “The Lottery” in a discussion of examples of literature that demonstrates lessons in medical ethics.

In the following lecture, Jackson discusses public reaction to the original publication of “The Lottery” in the New Yorker.

In the following essay, Kosenko argues that the tradition of the lottery represents the inequitable stratification of the social order along lines of gender and economic position.

In the following essay, Nebeker analyzes the symbolism in “The Lottery.”

In the following essay, Nebeker discusses the underlying themes in "The Lottery," focusing on the religious symbolism and anthropological elements of the story.

In the following essay, Allen analyzes the elements of folklore and ritual in "The Lottery," contending that Jackson successfully uses them to reveal various kinds of social behavior.

Brooks was one of the most influential of the "New Critics"; he espoused a critical method characterized by a close reading of texts in which an individual work is evaluated solely on the basis of its internal components. Warren was the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of All the King's Men (1947), Promises: Poems, 1954–1956 (1957), and Now and Then: Poems, 1976–1978 (1979). In the following essay, they examine Jackson's intentions in "The Lottery," cont...

Friedman is an English professor and critic. In the following excerpt, she briefly discusses the publication history of "The Lottery" and examines the story's theme of social evil.

In the following essay, Friedman provides an overview of the plot and major themes in “The Lottery.”

In the following essay, Gibson identifies the similarities between the biblical story of Joshua 7:10-26 and "The Lottery," contending that while the biblical story emphasizes the supernatural triumph of good over evil, Jackson's story reveals a "chillingly impersonal world of gray amorality."

In the following edited version of a lecture on "The Lottery" that Jackson originally delivered in 1960 and published in Come Along with Me in 1968, she discusses public reaction to the story.

In the following essay, Yarmove analyzes the meanings of names and dates in “The Lottery,” concluding that the story is designed to challenge the complacency of readers who believe a holocaust could never happen in contemporary America.

In the following essay, Coulthard contends that “The Lottery” demonstrates Jackson's “nihilistic” view of humanity.

In the following essay, Cervo explains the biblical significance of the name “Delacroix” in “The Lottery.”

Heilman is an English professor and the author of several works on drama, comedy, and the humanities. In the following essay on "The Lottery," Heilman discusses how Jackson's shift "from a realistic to a symbolic technique" intensifies the shock value of the story's ending.

In the following essay, Lainhoff comments on the scapegoat theme in "The Lottery."