The Theme Thingy Shirley Jackson’s infamous short story, “The Lottery” is located in a quaint little village around southwest Vermont with a measly population of only 300 people. Every year, the townspeople hold a possibly religious event, with malicious intent. Bill Hutchinson, a hard-working man of the village, is the head of a loving family, whom he runs with his wife tessie. During the actual lottery, the Hutchinson family is picked, and later on, Tessie is chosen as the sole receiver of the many stones that had been gathered by the villagers. The actions of everyone in this family, and the communication has lead me to believe that one of the central themes in this short story is mob mentality. The Hutchinson’s are a prime example of