Most of the “civic activities” in the village are carried out by Mr. Summers because he alone has the time and energy to dedicate to those kinds of activities. On this occasion, Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves, the postmaster, arrive at the square, one carrying the “the black wooden box,” the other, a “three-legged stool.” They then set the black box on the stool at the center of the square. The box carries bits and pieces of paper that are to be used in the lottery. Every head of a household in the village is required to randomly draw a single piece of paper from the black box. Whoever draws the paper with the black spot puts his whole family at risk, for the family has to go through a second draw upon which the picker of the paper with a black spot is stoned by the rest of the village.

After the two men place the black box at the center of the square, Mr. Summers asks for volunteers to help him hold the black box steady as he shuffles its contents in readiness for the lottery. However, nobody seems to want to help—the villagers hesitate. Finally, Mr. Martin and his son Baxter step forward to help Mr. Summers.

Perhaps the men of the village are not willing to help Mr. Summers because the lottery is a ritual with laid down rules and regulations. For instance, Mr. Summers has to be officially sworn in as an official of the lottery; only the heads of households can draw from the box, with a few exceptions. Also, it seems that most of the villagers fear the black box, for they not only hesitate when asked to help set it up but they also “keep a distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool.” The black box is a symbol of death as it holds the black-spotted piece of paper, which if drawn subjects its drawer to death by stoning.