A scapegoat is someone who is blamed for the mistakes or crimes of another. The term scapegoat may have some similarity to the ancient Greek term "tragos ode", which literally means goat song. This connection comes about in the symbolic meaning of the word goat. In biblical times, goats were sacrificed to God. Goats now have been marked with the remembrance of sacrificing. Perhaps, the ancient Greeks were actually meaning, "sacrifice song", or song of sacrifice. This brings about what the story "The Lottery", by Shirley Jackson, is about. Several examples of scapegoating were used in this short story, but the story revolves around one major scapegoat.

The first example is when Mrs. Hutchinson is late for the beginning of the lottery. Everyone in the town knows that the date is June 27th. For many years, on this date, the villagers would gather together in the central square for the annual lottery. There would always be much excitement and interest as the rituals of the event proceeded. The

familiar discussion of current and everyday happenings in village life are intermingled with commentary on the traditional and modern ways of holding the lottery, as well as observation of the particularities of this year's proceedings. However, on this famous date, June 27th, somehow Mrs. Hutchinson forgets about the lottery and continues to wash dishes. Upon her arrival to the Town Square, she says that her husband has not reminded her, giving him all of the blame for her being late. I find it very suspicious that for an unforgettable event, such as the lottery that is only held once a year, that someone would forget about it. Many people would have been talking about his event weeks before it happened, I am sure that Mrs. Hutchinson did not forget, she just chooses to show up late because she was dreads the thought of coming.

The major point at which this story is centered is the use of sacrifice as a scapegoat. Mrs. Hutchinson, in the story, serves as the scapegoat for everyone in the small town. Town tradition is to sacrifice a human in hope for productive weather, crops, and good health. Even though several of the younger families believe that the tradition should cease, the elders, who had more authority, believe that the lo

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Approximate Word count = 841
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)