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Who can be inferred to have died in last year's lottery?

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In last year's lottery, it can be inferred that Mr. Watson was the victim, as the "Watson boy" now draws for his family, implying his father's absence. This is further suggested by the villagers' comments praising the boy for stepping up, indicating there is no Mr. Watson to draw. The villagers' avoidance of directly acknowledging the previous stoning reflects discomfort and guilt about the ritual, which is increasingly seen as outdated and unsettling.

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It appears that Mr. Watson was the sacrificial harvest victim stoned last year, because the "Watson boy" steps up to draw this year for his mother and himself. He is described as nervous, and he keeps ducking his head, as if he does not want to make eye contact with the other villagers. He is also praised by them as a "good fellow" and a "man" stepping up to the plate to spare his mother having to draw.

What is interesting is that the text—and the villagers—never acknowledge that his father was stoned to death. As with other parts of the ritual, the stoning, though it continues, is less and less central to people's lives. The box that holds the lottery tickets is splintering and nobody wants to repair it. The ritual grows shorter and shorter as people grow more uncomfortable with it. The villagers must know that they last...

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year they stoned to death the Watson boy's father, but they leave it unspoken and paper over it with weak praises of the son. It is as if they are ashamed to remember. We see a tradition that has long outlived any "usefulness" still clung to in a way that suggest guilt, denial, and discomfort.

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The only character that the text indicates as having a missing family member is the Watson boy. 

The rules indicate that the man of the house draws the ticket for the family. If the man cannot make it, such as in the case of Mrs. Dunbar, whose husband has a broken leg, a grown boy of the household then draws. If there is no grown boy--again, as in Mrs. Dunbar's case, as her son Horace isn't more than sixteen yet--the woman draws. 

Mr. Summers asks immediately after that exchange, "Watson boy drawing this year?" suggesting that he knows there is no Mr. Watson; he just isn't sure of the boy's age. A tall boy steps forward and announces that he's drawing for his mother and himself. He seems nervous, too--more so than the other villagers--as he goes forward to select a ticket. The villagers say he's a "good fellow" and they're "Glad to see [his] mother's got a man to do it." 

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