November 2012: 
 I give this 5 stars for the incredible build up of suspense to the last word. 
 This story is a very powerful commentary on rituals and what kinds of ritual a society would preserve. Now some people can get carried away with this but I think we are meant to have a measure of common-sense when reflecting on this. 
 I still marvel at how Jackson builds the suspense from zero to sixty throughout the entire story without stopping. Although I still prefer The Haunting more this story is definitely a classic that I can recommend. The fact that the story exactly examines what the symbolism of what the lottery is without asking that question. 
 Update January 2017: 
 I just read Jackson's "Biography of A Story" where she documents the fallout over the story's publication. I chalk it up to the beginning of Cold War hysteria,but it was amazing to read how ignorant foolish people got over this story. It goes to show that the more things change...