"The Lottery" ~by Shirley Jackson

(#8)
This story is presented from the objective point of view. The omniscient narrator tells the story as someone looking onto the event, but they do not closely relate to any of the characters. This creates the dispassionate, matter-of-fact tone of the story. The narrator does not tell the feelings or characteristic of any of the characters. This creates the impersonal aspect of the story. Instead of focusing in on Mrs. Hutchinson or any of the other characters, the narrator speaks only about the facts of the event. They tell about the lottery, the normal ceremony, and the box. However, the narrator does not mention the feelings of the characters. When Mrs. Hutchinson chooses the black spot paper and claims "It isn't fair," the narrator quickly moves along to the stoning (page 271). The narrator shows no emotion as "Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared spot by now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her...a stone hit her in the side of the head" (page 271). The way the narrator tells the story effectively reflects the opinions of the villagers. It shows how the ritual became habit. It happened every year, and they all just accepted the cruel action because that is how it had always been.