Typically, winning a lottery involves receiving a prize. However, details suggest that winning this lottery is the opposite. An early hint is that Mr. Summers, who presides over the lottery, also oversees the annual Halloween event. The Lottery begins pleasantly, with a description of a lovely summer day. Townsfolk gather in the square, preparing for some sort of festival or event. Their conversations are relaxed and matter-of-fact, as if the forthcoming event were a mere formality in their lives, no more or less important than discussing how the weather might affect this year’s crops. In fact, they’ve gathered for the annual slaughter of a randomly chosen resident. The casualness, both of the characters’ actions and the story’s mood, belies the shocking ending. The nonchalant mood of the story slowly darkens; as the lottery progresses, the townsfolk become quieter and more somber. This slow shift in mood is meant to inspire in the reader a growing sense of dread as the story moves relentlessly toward its horrifying conclusion.

The author implies things about the townspeople through her descriptions of them. On the morning of the lottery, an important event, the women appear, “wearing faded house dresses and sweaters” (292).