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How long has the town been holding the lottery? How do you know this?

In "The Lottery," Jackson does not reveal for how long the lottery has been played by the townspeople. We can infer its history, however, based on some details from the story. Old Man Warner, for example, is the oldest man in town and when he walks through the crowd, he claims that this is the seventy-seventh lottery in which he has taken part. We can assume, therefore, that the lottery is at least seventy-seven years old.


There is some evidence, however, to suggest that the lottery is even older than Warner. Early in the story when Jackson describes the lottery "paraphernalia," for instance, she comments that the current black box has been in use since before the birth of Old Man Warner.


The lottery, then, is older than the living memory of anybody in the town and this adds to the sense of mystery which surrounds this violent ritual.

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