How does Mrs. Hutchinson embody the dystopian protagonist?

First, you should define "The Dystopian Protagonist" to identify how it is distinguished from a general protagonist. A dystopian protagonist recognizes the elements of their society that makes it a dystopia; as such, the protagonist questions the system in which they live and/or wants to escape and/or wants to inform others about their perspective.

When applying this definition to "The Lottery," Tessie Hutchinson is an interesting case. Through much of the story, she does not...

First, you should define "The Dystopian Protagonist" to identify how it is distinguished from a general protagonist. A dystopian protagonist recognizes the elements of their society that makes it a dystopia; as such, the protagonist questions the system in which they live and/or wants to escape and/or wants to inform others about their perspective.

When applying this definition to "The Lottery," Tessie Hutchinson is an interesting case. Through much of the story, she does not question the system in which she lives, and she is eager to participate in the ritualized lottery. It's only when her own family draws the black dot that she speaks out. Her shift then into someone who's disagreeing with the cultural tradition is in stark contrast to the rest of her family: her husband wants her to be quiet, and when Tessie draws the final black dot, her young song has a stone in his hand.

You might think about how Tessie embodies the very human situation of not being able to see the flaws in a system until she's its victim. Many readings of "The Lottery" interpret it as pertaining to World War II and the horrors of mass genocide. Jackson herself addressed this at times. Such a historical connection can add more depth to a discussion of whether or not Tessie is a dystopian protagonist: For example, does her shift in perspective separate her from her willingness to participate in the lottery so long as she and her family were spared? If the Hutchinsons had not drawn the black dot, would Tessie have experienced her epiphany? What would have happened if her son or husband had drawn the final black dot?

"The Lottery" encourages a lot of questioning about the human condition, social conditions, and the construction of cultural beliefs/tradition. Tessie can be seen as an example of someone suddenly recognizing a tradition's wrongness, yet her fate can be seen as an example of how - too often, unfortunately - traditions left unchecked and unquestioned for too long have more power than a single questioner.