The Lottery

The Lottery is a short story written by the Irish author Maria Edgeworth. It was first published in 1807 and is set in a small village in Ireland. The story revolves around the annual lottery that takes place in the village, where the winner receives a prize of a large sum of money. The protagonist of the story, a young woman named Peggy, is hesitant to participate in the lottery due to her fear of losing. However, her father insists that she participate and buys her a ticket. On the day of the lottery, Peggy's ticket is chosen as the winner, much to her surprise and delight. However, her happiness is short-lived as she soon realizes that the prize money comes with a heavy price. The story explores the themes of greed, class, and the consequences of blindly following tradition. It serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of being too focused on material wealth and the importance of questioning societal norms.But all that Mrs. Dolly said was lost upon Ellen, who declared that she would never be so mean as to encroach upon such a generous friend; and Maurice protested that nothing that man, woman, or devil, could say, should persuade him to live in idleness another year. He sent George the next morning to Mr. Belton with a letter, requesting that he would procure employment for him, and stating what he thought himself fit for. Amongst other things, he mentioned that he could keep accounts. That he could write a good hand was evident, from his letter. Mr. Belton, at this time, wanted a clerk in his manufactory; and, upon Maurice's repeating his promise never more to frequent the gaming-table, Mr. Belton, after a trial, engaged him as his clerk.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.