"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson is about a community's annual rite of holding a 'lottery' where one person is randomly selected as a sacrifice for the whole community. The victim is stoned to death for the well being of the whole community.
One of the major characters in the story is that of Tessie Hutchinson. She had been selected for that particular year's sacrifice. She had been different from the other villagers. On the day of the draw, she came to the venue, panting and out of breath. She had forgotten the day of the lottery, showing she had never really kept this time as something important. It is surprising to know this as the village's most important day is this "lottery day".
Then, when she got selected for the sacrificial victim, she exclaims that "it wasn't fair". This shows her reluctance to be a part of some unusual tradition. It also shows her reluctance participation in the whole scheme of things.
