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Tessie Hutchinson
The unlucky loser of the lottery. Tessie draws the paper with the black mark on it and is stoned to death. She is excited about the lottery and fully willing to participate every year, but when her family’s name is drawn, she protests that the lottery isn’t fair. Tessie arrives at the village square late because she forgot what day it was.
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Bill Hutchinson
Tessie’s husband. Bill first draws the marked paper, but he picks a blank paper during the second drawing. He is fully willing to show everyone that his wife, Tessie, has drawn the marked paper.
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Old Man Warner
The oldest man in the village. Old Man Warner has participated in seventy-seven lotteries. He condemns the young people in other villages who have stopped holding lotteries, believing that the lottery keeps people from returning to a barbaric state.
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Mr. Summers
The man who conducts the lottery. Mr. Summers prepares the slips of paper that go into the black box and calls the names of the people who draw the papers. The childless owner of a coal company, he is one of the village leaders.
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Mr. Harry Graves
The postmaster. Mr. Graves helps Mr. Summers prepare the papers for the lottery and assists him during the ritual.
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Bobby Martin
The younger son of the Martin family. At the beginning of the story, he eagerly gathers stones, setting an example for the other children arriving for the lottery.
Mrs. Dunbar
The wife of Clyde Dunbar, the only man in the village unable to attend the lottery due to a broken leg. Since her husband is absent, Mrs. Dunbar represents her family and draws a slip from the box.
Mrs. Delacroix
A friend of Tessie’s who greets her when she arrives late to the lottery. She seems to particularly enjoy the lottery as she tries to convince Tessie to “be a good sport” when her family is selected and picks out a large rock that requires two hands to carry.
Mr. Steve Adams
The first person to draw a slip of paper from the black box. Both he and his wife seem somewhat skeptical of the lottery as they mention on multiple occasions that other villages are starting to abandon the practice, but he is still at the front when the stoning begins.
