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Allusions
Dialect
Explanation and Analysis—Rural America:
The characters in “The Lottery” speak in a subtle rural dialect, meaning that Jackson changes her spelling and grammar when writing dialogue in order to capture the ways that some rural Americans would speak in the mid-20th century. The following passage—which comes as Tessie Hutchinson arrives late to the lottery—captures Jackson’s use of dialect:
Mrs. Hutchinson said grinning, "Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink, now, would you, Joe?" and soft laughter ran through the crowd as the people stirred back into position after Mrs. Hutchinson's arrival.
"Well, now," Mr. Summers said soberly, "guess we better get started, get this over with, so's we can go back to work. Anybody ain't here?"
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