Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a masterful short story that tricks its reader initially, and later surprises the reader into the understanding of the dynamics of scapegoat. The value of the book lies in its narrative technique that engages the reader dramatically in the textual process in such a manner that the reader participates in the act of scapegoat by means of identification with the townspeople (Lenemaja 1975).

Simultaneously, when the reader comes to this realization, he/she can be struck by the hazard of premature conclusion on the interpretation of the story. No other writer other than Jackson could have more skillfully demonstrated the pitfalls of pattern recognition in medicine as discussed in the story (Lenemaja 1975). In addition, it manipulates through its text, which ultimately identifies with Mrs. Hutchinson's cry, "It isn't fair," due to which the resulting feelings of anger reproduce the ordinary feeling of anger at one...
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