5 Key Elements of

a Story
“The Lottery”
Review of the Past Lesson:

•What is 21st century literature?

•What are some of the characteristics of a 21 st-

century reader?

•What are the 6 21st popular genres?

Food for thought
I. Objectives
At the end of the lesson, students should be able
to:
A.Recall the five key elements of a story
B.Identify the five key elements in the story “The
Lottery”

C.Understand the moral of the given story

• There are five key elements to every story: plot, setting, characters,
point of view, and conflict.

PLOT

• Plot is the events or actions that drive your story — it describes the
“what” of your tale. The plot lets the reader know what’s happening,
describes the problems your characters are trying to solve, and gives
the details on how they attempt to solve them.
• A strong, compelling plot is essential to any story. But that doesn’t
mean it needs to be full of Michael Bay -type action. You don’t need
crazy car chases or epic battles to construct an exciting plot. Strong
emotions can also drive your story and give your characters plenty to
talk about.

• However, your story does need several clearly defined plot elements to
help you structure your tale’s events and keep the story moving
forward.
Elements of Plot

• To keep your reader engaged and interested, your story should include these plot
elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Let’s
explore each one.

Exposition

• Exposition gives the reader the background info they need to jump right into
your story’s world. This is often found towards the beginning of your story. Even
if you choose to jump right into the action, somewhere along the way your reader
needs to get a crash course on your characters’ or setting’s history.
Rising Action

• The rising action is the moments in your story that lead up to the
climax — choices your main characters have made and the events
happening that are at odds with your characters’ goals. This is where
your story builds and your reader begins to invest in your characters.

• This is likely going to be the longest section of your story. A whole

lot happens between the start of the novel and that moment, but often
you’ll find yourself holding your breath and waiting to see what will
happen. That is the power of rising action.
Climax

• This is it — the primary turning point and what your story

has been building towards. What are your main characters
going to do? Will they succeed or fail?

• Typical climaxes include victories or defeats. The main goal

of the climax is to resolve the conflict, but whether that
positively or negatively affects your character is up to you. Or
maybe it’s not that simple.
Falling Action

• Now that the main conflict is resolved, it’s time to begin w rapping everything up .
The falling action is a great time to tie up any loose ends while also giving your
characters a chance to deal with the aftermath of the climax.

Resolution

• It’s time to end your tale! If you still have unanswered questions in your plot, answer
them now. The resolution is also the time to show the next step in your
characters’ lives. Do they live happily ever after? Is a new era dawning? Or do they
just continue on with their ordinary existence with a new experience under their belt?

• The resolution of one story can also be the start of another. You can introduce a new
conflict or raise more questions for your reader. Wrap it up, then begin again!
Setting

• The setting of your story is both the physical location and

point in time in which your plot takes place . For some
stories (like the fantasy novels mentioned above) setting is a
huge part of the story. You can build a whole new world with
its own languages and creatures. In this case, the setting
almost acts as its own character in your tale.
Character

• The characters are the people, animals, beings, or personified objects

driving your story. A story can have many characters or just one main
character as the focus. Going back to our example, The Hunger
Games focuses on Katniss, but there are many supporting characters that
play a major role in her story: Haymitch, Peeta, Gale, Rue, Primrose, and
many, many more. On the other hand, Edgar Allen Poe’s poem “The Raven”
has only three: the narrator, Lenore, and the raven. But that’s plenty for an
exciting tale.

• Your story’s characters should be compelling. Whether good or evil, you

need your reader to invest and care about their journey.
There are many different kinds of characters, but most stories include these two
common types:

Protagonist

• The protagonist is typically the ‘good guy’ in your story — the one the reader is
rooting for. This main character is super important and central to your plot. They
are often trying to overcome the conflict while finding themselves at odds with our
next character type.

Antagonist

• The antagonist of your story doesn’t have to be a single person. It can be any
character, group, or force that is at odds with your protagonist. This doesn’t mean
they have to be ‘evil’ or the ‘bad guy’, but the antagonist is often pushing the
conflict onto our protagonist.
Po i nt o f v i ew ( o r P OV )

D e s c r i b e s t h e l e n s t h rough w h i c h t h e sto r y i s b e i n g to l d.

• Ty p e s o f Po i nt o f V i ew

T h e P OV yo u c h o o s e ca n h e l p s h a p e yo u r e nt i re sto r y. T h e re a re s eve ra l d i ffe re nt P OVs to co n s i de r, b u t t h e

m o st co m m o n a re f i rst p e rs o n , s e co n d p e rs o n , a n d th i rd p e rs o n .

Fi rst Pe rs o n Po i nt o f V i ew

• A sto r y to l d i n t h e f i rst p e rs o n i s m o st o f te n to l d f ro m t h e p o i nt o f vi ew o f t h e p ro tagoni st. O u r

p ro tagoni st n a r rator wi l l s p e a k u s i n g f i rst p e rs o n p ro n ouns ( I , we , m e , etc ) . An d a s t h e re a d e r, we a re
p r i v y to t h ei r i n n er m ost t h o ught s a n d fe e l i n g s .
S e co n d Pe rs o n Po i nt o f V i ew

• Yo u wo n ’t s ee s eco n d p e rs o n u s e d ve r y o f te n i n l i te rature, b u t i t i s a n i m p o r tant P OV to keep i n m i n d . I n

t h e s e co n d p e rs o n, t h e re a d e r i s a d d re s se d d i re c t ly a n d m ay eve n b e co m e a c h a rac te r o f s o r t s i n yo u r
sto r y. T h i s p o i nt o f vi ew i s wr i tte n u s i n g s e co n d p e rs o n p ro no uns ( you, yo ur, etc ) .

T h i rd Pe rs o n Po i nt o f V i ew

• T h i rd p e rs o n P OV i s by fa r t h e m o st co m m o n p o i nt o f vi ew i n f i c t i o n wr i t i n g. I n t h i s k i n d o f sto r y, t h e
re a d e r i s a bystand e r, o bs e r vi ng t h e a c t i ons o f t h e c h a rac te rs a s to l d by a n ‘o u t si de n a r rator ’. T h i s P OV
u s e d t h i rd p e rs on p ro n ouns ( h e , s h e , t h ey, etc ) . B u t h o w m u c h we l e a r n a s a re a d e r d e p e n d s o n wh i c h
st y l e o f n a r rator yo u c h o o se .
Conflict

• The conflict is the big problem of the story. What is your main character trying
to overcome? That is the conflict .

Types of Conflict

• There are different types of conflicts you may choose to use, but the most
common are character vs self, character vs character, character vs nature,
and character vs society.
5 Key Elements of a Story
“The Lottery”
Plot Points
By Shirley Jackson
Introduction

On the morning of June 27, a beautiful summer day, in a small village, 300
residents gather in the town square to participate in the lottery, which
begins at 10:00 a.m. The children, recently dismissed from school for the
summer, gather first. Several young boys begin to select smooth, round
stones and pile them in the center of the square.
Introduction

The men join the children, chatting casually and making quiet jokes, and
the women follow, exchanging gossip. Soon Mr. Summers, who runs the coal
business and officiates at town social events, arrives with a black wooden
box under his arm, and Mr. Graves, the postmaster, follows with a three -
legged stool. People hesitate when Mr. Summers requests help, but Mr.
Martin and his oldest son Baxter help steady the stool while Mr. Summers
stirs the slips of paper in the box.
Rising Action
The black box has remained in use for over 77 years, since before Old Man
Warner was born. The box has grown shabby with time, and Mr. Summers
suggests making a new one. Not wishing to upset tradition, the villagers
never make a new one, although other aspects of the old ritual have been
"forgotten or discarded." For example, Mr. Summers substitutes slips of
paper for the chips of wood used in the older tradition. The growing
population made it necessary to use material that would fit in the box more
easily.
Rising Action
Before the lottery can begin, Mr. Summers records lists of heads of families,
heads of households in each family, and members of each household. The
postmaster swears in Mr. Summers as the lottery official. In prior years the
official performed a recital, described as a "tuneless chant," and saluted
each resident who came up to draw a slip. Now the official greets each
resident without a salute. Even without the full ceremony, his position is
endowed with significance and respect.
Climax
Mr. Summers chats with Mr. Graves and the Martins for a while and then
turns to the crowd. At that point Tessie Hutchinson runs along the path
leading to the square. She explains to her amused friend Mrs. Delacroix that
she forgot what day it was, only remembering when she looked out her
window to see her family gone. The crowd lets Tessie through to stand next
to her husband, and the villagers remark with good humor that she made it
after all. Mr. Summers jokes about her late arrival, and Mrs. Hutchinson
says lightly that she had to finish washing the dishes. The crowd laughs.
Climax
Mr. Summers asks if any residents are missing. Clyde Dunbar isn't there; he
has broken his leg. His wife has to draw for him since their son is not old
enough. The crowd disapproves of a woman drawing, while recognizing there is
no other option. Mr. Summers also affirms, to the crowd's approval, that the
Watsons' oldest son is drawing this year.

Mr. Summers explains the rules that the residents have heard many times: the
official will read the names of each family. The head of each household will
come up and draw a paper from the box, keeping the paper folded until
everyone eligible to draw has taken a slip. The men approach the box in
alphabetical order by last name and solemnly greet Mr. Summers as they take
their paper.
Climax
As the names are called, the residents talk among themselves. Mrs. Delacroix
notes that the time since the last lottery has gone very quickly. She is visibly
nervous as her husband goes forward. The men holding slips are also anxious.
Tessie Hutchinson says, "Get up there, Bill," when her family name is called,
making the people near her laugh.

Old Man Warner talks with Mr. and Mrs. Adams about the "north village" where
"folks" are talking about giving up the lottery. Old Man Warner is derisive,
saying nothing is good enough for the "young folks" —they might as well live in
caves and quit working. He repeats a familiar saying: "Lottery in June, corn be
heavy soon," connecting the lottery to the harvest. Mrs. Adams points out that
some towns have already stopped lotteries.
Climax
Mrs. Dunbar wishes the men would hurry and tells her son to run back and let
his father know the outcome. Old Man Warner announces that it is his 77 th
lottery, and the crowd encourages the Watson boy as he draws for the first
time.

After the heads of each household have drawn their slips, they pause until Mr.
Summers approves, and they open their slips all at once. The women all begin
to ask, "Who's got it?" They gradually learn that Bill Hutchinson has been
selected. While Bill Hutchinson says nothing, Tessie Hutchinson shouts to Mr.
Summers that he didn't give her husband enough time to take any paper he
wanted. Other women in the crowd quiet her, saying they all took the same
chance. Bill Hutchinson tells her to shut up.
Falling Action
Mr. Summers prepares for a second lottery drawing. He mentions that the
first drawing took longer than expected, so they need to hurry. He asks Mr.
Hutchinson if there are any other households in the Hutchinson family. Mrs.
Hutchinson says that her daughter Eva and her husband Don should "take
their chance." Mr. Summers reminds her that daughters draw with their
husbands' families. Bill Hutchinson agrees this is fair. He then says there
are no other households; the family includes only his wife and their three
youngest kids, Bill Jr., Nancy, and Davy. Given this, the second drawing, in
which all the heads of households in the Hutchinson family would have
drawn a slip, will be skipped. The ritual will move to the final drawing.
Falling Action
With Tessie Hutchinson protesting quietly, Mr. Graves takes Bill Hutchinson's
slip back and adds it to the box, which now contains five slips of paper. In
the final lottery drawing, Davy is first. Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves help the
little boy take a single piece of paper from the box. Nancy draws next, then
Bill Jr. After hesitating

Tessie Hutchinson takes a slip. Bill Hutchinson is left with the last slip. One
of Nancy's school friends expresses the hope that Nancy is not chosen. Old
Man Warner murmurs that people aren't the way they used to be.
Resolution
When the Hutchinson children open their papers, the crowd is relieved to find
that Davy's is blank. Nancy and Bill Jr. discover their slips are blank and laugh
happily. Mr. Summers asks Tessie Hutchinson to open hers, but she doesn't do
so. Summers then turns to Bill Hutchinson, who reveals that his slip is also
blank. On Mr. Summers's instructions, Bill forces the slip out of Tessie's hand
and reveals the black dot made with a heavy pencil.

Mr. Summers tells the crowd to finish quickly. The children grab stones first.
Someone gives pebbles to Davy Hutchinson. The villagers, including Mrs.
Delacroix and Mrs. Dunbar, take stones from the pile the young boys made
earlier in the day. Tessie holds her hands out "desperately" as the crowd moves
in on her. The first stone hits her and Old Man Warner urges the others on.
Tessie screams, "It isn't fair, it isn't right," and then "they [are] upon her."
Setting

"The Lottery" takes place on June 27, a beautiful

summer day, in a small New England village where all
the residents are gathering for their traditional annual
lottery. Though the event first appears festive, it soon
becomes clear that no one wants to win the lottery.
Point of View

"The Lottery" is narrated from the third-person objective

point of view. The omniscient narrator who reports the
story in an objective way without commenting on it. The
emotional energy of the story emerges from the events
it depicts, such as Tessie's response to "winning" the
lottery.
Characters
Tessie Hutchinson - a housewife, is the story's main character and the
winner—or victim—of the lottery. She's the mother of four, one married
daughter and three young children, and the wife of Bill Hutchinson.

Bill Hutchinson - is Tessie Hutchinson's husband and the father of their

four children. He is the head of household chosen in the first lottery
drawing.

Davy Hutchinson - is Bill and Tessie Hutchinson's youngest son. He draws

with his family during the final lottery drawing. During the stoning, he is
given a few pebbles to participate in killing his mother.
Characters
Mr. Summers - is the lottery official. He runs the local coal business year -
round. He is the head of many civic events in the village, such as the square
dance and the teenage club.

Old Man Warner - is the oldest man in town. The lottery tradition is even older
than he is, and he respects it accordingly. He has drawn in the lottery for 77
years.

Mrs. Dunbar - is a housewife. She fills in for her invalid husband as the head
of household during the lottery. She is nervous in taking her husband's place in
the lottery but shows courage by doing so anyway. She also wants to escape
the censure of the villagers, some of whom don't approve of a woman drawing
for her family.
Characters
Watson boy - A youth who is old enough this year to draw in the lottery on
behalf of himself and his mother. For this, he receives supportive words
from the other villagers, who tell him he is a “good fellow” and that they’re
“glad to see” his mother has a man to draw for the family.
Resolution
When the Hutchinson children open their papers, the crowd is relieved to find
that Davy's is blank. Nancy and Bill Jr. discover their slips are blank and laugh
happily. Mr. Summers asks Tessie Hutchinson to open hers, but she doesn't do
so. Summers then turns to Bill Hutchinson, who reveals that his slip is also
blank. On Mr. Summers's instructions, Bill forces the slip out of Tessie's hand
and reveals the black dot made with a heavy pencil.

Mr. Summers tells the crowd to finish quickly. The children grab stones first.
Someone gives pebbles to Davy Hutchinson. The villagers, including Mrs.
Delacroix and Mrs. Dunbar, take stones from the pile the young boys made
earlier in the day. Tessie holds her hands out "desperately" as the crowd moves
in on her. The first stone hits her and Old Man Warner urges the others on.
Tessie screams, "It isn't fair, it isn't right," and then "they [are] upon her."
Conflict and Moral
One conflict in the short story "The Lottery" concerns Tessie Hutchinson
versus her small village. Tessie challenges the brutal ritual, but her
neighbors force her to participate. There is another conflict involving the
northern villages, who have ended the ritual. The wider, underlying conflict
concerns tradition versus modernity, and Mr. Summers is in conflict with the
villagers over replacing the black box.
Conflict and Moral
The moral lesson in “The Lottery” is that the moral values and traditions of
a community can be unsound, and so people and groups should not blindly
follow tradition or cave to peer pressure.

• The Danger of Blindly Following Tradition

• The Randomness of Persecution

• The Nature of ‘Evil’

• Conformity
EVALUATION
Question #1
• The section of the story when the tension from the climax
begins to resolve and the main character faces the
consequences, good or bad, of the climax.

a. Exposition

a. Climax

b. Rising Action

c. Falling Action
Question #2
• The point in the story when the background information,
such as characters and setting, is established.

a. Rising Action

b. Falling Action

c. Exposition

d. Resolution
Question #3
• The end of the story, which can be a positive result or a
catastrophe for the main character.

a. Resolution

b. Climax

c. Exposition

d. Falling Action
Question #4
• On what day does the lottery take place?

a. January 25

b. July 27

c. September 4

d. June 27
Question #5

• Which stones are the most prized for use in the lottery?

a. Shiny, decorative ones

b. Hard, jagged ones

c. Smooth, round ones

d. Heavy, flat ones

Question #6
• What are people gathering in the town square?

a. There is a band concert in the morning.

b. They are voting on whether to discontinue the lottery.

c. The mayor is making a speech.

d. It is the annual lottery day.

Question #7
• Describe how the village looks on the day of the lottery.

a. Very metropolitan with shiny glass commercial buildings

b. Neat houses, green lawns, and flowers everywhere

c. Gloomy and cold with gray houses

d. Dusty, dry with paint peeling off the houses

Question #8
• What happens to the lottery "winner "?

a. The "winner " is taken in back of the town hall to be beheaded by Mr.
Graves.

b. The "winner " is allowed to divorce his/her spouse and marry any other
villager of his/her choice.

c. The "winner " wins all the money in the town's treasury, although the
amount has never risen higher than $52.75.

d. The "winner " is stoned to death by the entire village.

Question #9
• What was the original purpose of the lottery?

a. A ritual sacrifice to guarantee a plentiful crop.

b. The townspeople wanted to make one person rich each year.

c. The small town was becoming overpopulated.

d. No reason is given.
Question #10
• What may be the main theme of "The Lottery“

a. Evil can be cloaked, or hidden, in something that seems to be good.

b. Lotteries are always in the best interests of everyone involved

c. Sticks and stone may break my bones, but lotteries will never hurt
me

d. Traditional villages consider females to have more authority.

KEY ANSWERS
1. A 6. D

2. C 7. B

3. A 8. D

4. D 9. A

5. C 10. A