Tessie Hutchinson in "The Lottery"

Tessie Hutchinson in “The Lottery”
Tessie Hutchinson is a middle-aged housewife and mother of four children. She is the unfortunate scapegoat/victim of the annual village lottery. Being late for the lottery, making rebellious remarks, and questioning the rules of the lottery are all hints that set Tessie up to be the lottery’s victim. She represents one of few voices of rebellion in a village controlled by tradition and complacency. Her low status as a woman has led many critics to state that Tessie’s fate illustrates the authority of men over women.
Tessie is a woman whose role as a housewife deprived her of her freedom by forcing her to submit to a husband who gains his power over her by virtue of his place in the work force. Tessie, however, rebels against her role, and such rebellion is just what the orderly functioning of her society cannot stand. The villagers believe, unconsciously, that their commitment to a work ethic will grant them some magical imm...