Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery" is included in Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories, edited by James Moffett and Kenneth R.McElheny. In that excellent book "The Lottery" is classified as "Anonymous Narration--No Character Point of View." There is no major character in the story. The closest any character comes to qualifying as a major character would be Tessie Hutchinson. Not only is she revealed as this year's victim, but we readers can understand her growing feelings of apprehension and final terror as, first, her family of five-her husband, daughter Nancy, son Bill Jr., little Dave, and herself--become the focus of attention and curiosity, and then when the all the members of her family show that the slips they have drawn are blank.
She starts protesting when her husband draws the slip that means doom for herself or one of her family.
"You didn't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair!"
Then she tries to have "Don and Eva" included with her family. Evidently Eva is a her older daughter who is married and whose name would no longer be Hutchinson. Tessie Hutchinson is being characterized as selfish and cowardly. We readers do not yet know what the "winner" wins in this weird lottery, but we have a pretty strong premonition by now that the prize is death.
Tessie continues to protest, but nobody will listen. One by one, her three children and her husband open their papers and show they are blank.
Bill Hutchinson went over to his wife and forced the slip of paper out of her hand. It had a black spot on it.
No other character gets as much attention as Tessie Hutchinson. This seems appropriate since the story is about a person who is stoned to death. Tessie dies still protesting.
"It isn't fair, it isn't right," Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.
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