Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" is set in a small village who have the annual tradition of conducting a lottery to chose one person from the people to be stoned to death. No one knows why it was done and the significance of it, but everyone still follows the old barbaric tradition nonetheless.
The given passage/ excerpt shows the moment Tessie selected the 'cursed paper' indicating her as the victim. She hadn't revealed the dotted paper that is the mark of the 'victim' but with everyone left out, she is the only probable person to have picked the paper. The dialogue of Mr. Summers asking Bill to show Tessie's paper is the start of the whole plot of the stoning. It sets the stoning action in motion, with the victim chosen, only the main act of the stoning was left.
And he said that meens Im doing something grate for sience and Ill be famus and my name will go down in the books. I dont care so much about beeing famus. I just want to be smart like other pepul so I can have lots of frends who like me.
