Family Ties: The Lottery and The Ballad of Rudolph Reed

The storyline in both The Lottery and The Ballad of Rudolph Reed very distinctly mentions family relationships. Both families obviously looked out for one another. “Mrs. Hutchinson craned he neck to see through the crowd and found her husband and children standing near the front.” (318). In The Lottery Mrs. Hutchinson made sure to locate the whereabouts of her kin. “…the Rudolph Reeds and the children three were too joyous…” (932). In The Ballad of Rudolph Reed the family seems very close-knit and happy in each other’s presence.

In The Lottery the Hutchinson’s received the bad luck of choosing the black dot that doomed one of their family. As soon as there was a chance that one of their family would come to harm, Mrs. Hutchinson immediately protested the tradition of the lottery. “‘You didn’t give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I s...