“The Lottery” is a story that shows the complexity and capacity of human behavior. Something immoral, like stoning a person to death once a year, is a normal occurrence. The protagonist, Tessie Hutchinson, is the victim of the lottery. Tessie is a character with a number of seemingly good characteristics, but the culture around her rejects these characteristics. Most of the people in the village have opposite attitudes and beliefs than Tessie. These attitudes and beliefs reflect his personal desires that quickly struggle against the expectations of the culture. Tessie is different from the other villagers; he is initially indifferent to the lottery, indicating that his desires are unrelated to the lottery. After winning the lottery, Tessie changes and her personal desire to survive and reject the lottery emerges in her selfishness and outspoken personality. These struggles against village expectations are shown through the culture's emphasis on tradition and small-town ties. Tessie is different from the other villagers, almost defiant. This quality is evident when he arrives late to the event. Consumed with simple household chores, like washing the dishes, she has completely forgotten about the lottery until she realizes that her entire family is gone. His late arrival is strange because the lottery tradition is of great importance to the village culture. Apart from Tessie, all the other people arrived early and calmly waited for the lottery to start. Her late arrival not only separates her from the other villagers, but attracts everyone's attention as she hurries through the crowd to find her family. After his arrival, Tessie immediately starts joking about his absence. It seems to do so… middle of paper… because of its value to the culture. The uniformity in the villagers' beliefs against Tessie shows their commitment to the lottery tradition, as well as their closeness to each other. It is unclear whether Tessie is the first to protest the lottery, or whether others have done so before her. Regardless, the villagers will continue to participate in the lottery and believe that it is fair, perhaps until they become its victims. Tessie showed this same transition in the story, indicating the complexity of human behavior. Human beings are completely shaped by socialization and tradition, and it is only when something threatens life that true concerns and attitudes can emerge. Works Cited1. Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery”. Literature: a portable anthology. Gardner, Janet E.; Meadow, Beverly; Ridl, Jack; Schakel, Pepter. 3rd edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin, 2012. 242-249. Press.