Reading experience: 
 First read-through: 5 stars (I was sooo shocked, the people in the train looked at me funny.) 
 Second read-through (5 hours later): 4 stars (still brilliant, but when the shocking revelation is no longer part of the experience it still remains a thought provoking read but not 5 star worthy) 
 I had no clue what this was about but it was mentioned in the introduction to Shirley's "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" as a short story that every American has read at one point in their life... I'm not an American but I had to know what this was about ... I gathered that it was about traditions... okay, I thought, this will probably be disturbing but not really worthwhile. BOY WAS I WRONG. This story is so impactful, important and - let's be real - scary. 
 (view spoiler)[During my second read-through I tried to get all of the hints on how this story would be concluded and boy, there were so many. I honestly don't know how on my first read-through I was deceived for so long and thought that the lottery winner would have a good fate... The hints are as follows: 
 - the little boys gathering the pile of stones ("selecting the smoothest and roundest stones") 
 - the overall subdued atmosphere and how tense the adults were 
 - how apprehensive the villagers were of the stool and didn't wanna touch the lottery box 
 - that everyone had to be in attendance for the lottery to start 
 - how the people yelled when the oldest son or the mother had to draw for their absent husbands and how it was seen as something honorable and tough 
 Overall the ignorance of the villagers was what got to me. It starts out in the beginning with them calling the "Delacroix" the "Dellacroy's". And Tessie Hutchinson "clean forget[ting] what day it was," (I mean for real, HOW CAN YOU FORGET A RITUAL LIKE THIS??????). (hide spoiler)] 
 The Old Man Warner was one of the most interesting characters in this tale because he represents basically those ignorant people who are incapable of change ("There's ALWAYS been a lottery.") Well guess what SOME TRADITIONS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DIE. 
 (view spoiler)[I really can't properly comprehend and picture this dystopia. How do people act on the day after the lottery? How are they just able to move on? I mean everything must seem so fake. How can you make friends when you know that they would when the occasion arises fucking stone you without blinking? I mean WTF 
 And the way in which they gave her little son stones as well, I mean come on. How fucked up is that. They're raising little devils basically. The ending really got to me in which Tessie cried "It isn't fair, it isn't RIGHT." Amen, sister. It is not right. It is fucked up and wrong. This tradition should be abolished and it has to be united effort from the whole community because if just one person speaks up against it all the anger will be directed towards this person. It's fucking frustrating. (hide spoiler)] 
 Shirley herself had terrible experiences with narrow-minded people who excluded her family for being intellectual and her husband being Jew from their community and I think a lot of her anger and experience went into this story. It also reminded me of the Townspeople that Constance and Merricat face in "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" and how they excluded people who were different and were very violent and aggresive. 
 Overall a very scary and thought-provoking read. Very glad to have checked it out.