The+Lottery+&+Catharsis

Catharsis

Freud defines catharsis is the phenomenon by which aggressive feelings, motives, and impulses are supposedly “drained off” and “vented” through violent actions. In this famous segment from “The Lottery” the “venting” of a years worth of aggression is clearly let loose during their annual villager stoning.

Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her. "It isn't fair," she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head. Old Man Warner was saying, "Come on, come on, everyone." Steve Adams was in the front of the crowd of villagers, with Mrs. Graves beside him. "It isn't fair, it isn't right," Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.

The story of the lottery at first seems, at first, to be a normal event in the community. But as you progress further and further into the story the reader discovers that it is not your typical lottery. There are a couple different ways that the stoning at the end of the story can be perceived, one of the ways, and maybe the most logical is catharsis. Viewing the event as an act of catharsis means instead of the stoning being a brutal act of barbarity it is a release of all the pent up rage of the village in one event. Instead of having many scattered occurrences of aggression it is all set aside until this one day when the people of the village all take it out on one person.