In Shirley Jacksons "The Lottery," she uses the element of surprise. The way the storyends is unlike anything anyone could predict. There are however several alternative waysthe story could have ended. The following is one possible alternative ending to "TheLottery". Everyone was prepared. Thirty minutes prior to the drawing, the villagersstarted collecting the best and largest stones they possibly could. Mrs. Dunbar picked upa handful of pebbles and stuffed them in her pocket, she than chose a stone so huge shehad to pick it up with both hands and it made it difficult for her to walk. Mrs. Delacroixcollected some small pebbles and made it just in time. Bill Hutchinson went over to hiswife and forced the slip of paper out of her hand. It had a black spot on it, the black spotMr. Summers had made the night before with the heavy pencil in the coal-companyoffice. Bill Hutchinson held it up and there was a stir in the crowd. "All right, folks," Mr.Summers said. "Lets finish quickly." Although the villagers had forgotten the ritual andlost the original black box, they still remembered to use stones. The pile of stones theboys had made earlier was ready; there were stones on the ground that the villagers hadprepared earlier along with blowing scraps of paper that hod come out of the box. Mrs.Delacroix picked up the huge stone she selected earlier and turned to Mrs. Dunbar."Come on," she said. "Hurry up." Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared spaceby now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her. "It isntfair," she said. Just two seconds before everyone started hailing stones at her, Old ManWarner yelled out "STOP!!" "Everybody STOP!" The villagers turned to him in shockand disappointment. Conversation broke out among the crowd. "What the hell is hedoing?," Mr. Summers asked in anger. Old Man Warner? Of all people? "I demand westop this absurd behavior!," replied Old Man Warner. "Why kill this woman?...
