A Backstabbing Community

“The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies. It comes from friends and loved ones”- anonymous. The lottery made the community less united because nobody had compassion nor feelings towards each other. An example of friends going against each other in order to save themselves is when Mrs. Hutchinson claims Mr. Summers didn’t give Bill Hutchinson enough time to take the paper he wanted and her friends shouted, “Be a good sport, Tessie” and “All of us took the same chance” (Jackson 4). Friends are supposed to support each other, not want that person to die. The lottery makes the community less united because someone can be best friends with another person, but could get killed with stones by the same person the next day. Hence, nobody is friends with anybody. Another example of how detached the community is because of The lottery, is when Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone “so large she had to pick it up with both hands” and said, “Come on, hurry up” (5). These women were supposed to be Tessie’s friends yet one picked up a large stone and was eager to finish quickly. The message behind picking up the biggest stone is that there is no friendship or union when it comes to protecting their families. Everybody was happy Tessie was going to be killed and they, and their family members, were safe. The lottery made the community less united because when this event takes place, it discourages any feeling of empathy in the community, including family members. People want to protect themselves and prefer killing another member of the community.