134 LITERATURE The Lottery By Shirley Jackson Literature along the way What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘lottery’? Take one minute to write down all the things it makes you think of. Then compare your list with a partner. Which words do you have in common? Read the first extract from a short story called The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, an American writer (1916–1965). Discuss these questions with a partner: 1 Where and when does the story take place? 2 How do you think the story will continue? Will it have a good or a bad ending? Underline all the expressions that make you think the ending will be good in blue and those that make you think the ending will be bad in red. Compare what you’ve underlined with your partner. 1 2 1 profusely: übermäßig, üppig 2 boisterous: wild, laut, übermütig 3 reluctant: widerwillig The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely1 and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o’clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days […], but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o’clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner. The children assembled first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous2 play, and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands. Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix […] eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys. The girls stood aside, talking among themselves, looking over their shoulders at the boys, and the very small children rolled in the dust or clung to the hands of their older brothers or sisters. Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed. The women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk. They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands. Soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to call to their children, and the children came reluctantly3, having to be called four or five times. Bobby Martin ducked under his mother’s grasping hand and ran, laughing, back to the pile of stones. His father spoke up sharply, and Bobby came quickly and took his place between his father and his oldest brother. Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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