The Lottery

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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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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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.

Mr. Harry Graves -  The postmaster. Mr. Graves helps Mr. Summers prepare the papers for the lottery and assists him during the ritual.