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"The Lottery" was published in 1948, just after World War II. What other cultural or historical events, attitudes, institutions, or rituals might...

This is an interesting question!


One of the major cultural institutions this story could be satirizing and commenting on is the military draft. The United States instituted the draft in 1940, and 50 million American men registered for the draft by the end of World War II. While there are major differences between the two rituals, both involve a major element of chance, social responsibility, and the likelihood of death. Because so many families had experienced this, this would have loomed large in their minds.


Of course, there are older traditions of human sacrifice. Many ancient cultures used human sacrifice, and, like the mention of "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon," these sacrifices were often intended to please the gods, and/or as an exchange or payment for future good favor, like good crops or success in war.

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