In "The Lottery," Jackson uses foreshadowing in the second paragraph by drawing attention to the rocks which will be used in the stoning of Tessie Hutchinson. Bobby Martin stuffs his pockets with stones, for example, while the other boys begin choosing the "smoothest and roundest" stones. Conversely, in the next paragraph, Jackson describes the coming-together of each family, ahead of the draw. This foreshadows the families gathering around Tessie Hutchinson to stone her at the end of the story.

By portraying the town and its people in such a light-hearted manner, Jackson makes the story and the town seem normal and ordinary. The images of children playing and families gathering on the square, for instance, give the reader the impression that some sort of jovial festival or celebration is about to take place, not a brutal and ritualistic stoning.