Read this excerpt from "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Mrs. Hutchinson craned her neck to see through the crowd and found her husband and children standing near the front. She tapped Mrs. Delacroix on the arm as a farewell and began to make her way through the crowd, "Here comes your Missus, Hutchinson," and "Bill, she made it after all."

Mrs. Hutchinson reached her husband, and Mr. Summers, who had been waiting, said cheerfully, "Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie."

Mrs. Hutchinson said, grinning, "Wouldn’t have me leave m’dishes in the sink, now, would you Joe?" and soft laughter ran through the crowd as the people stirred back into position after Mrs. Hutchinson’s arrival.

In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," how does the contrast between the readers' and the characters’ views of the lottery impact the story?

The forced cheerfulness of Mr. Summers makes the story's final outcome seem inevitable to readers.

The villagers' anxiety about the lottery makes the story's final outcome seem suspenseful to readers.

The laughing and joking amongst the villagers before the lottery selection begins makes the story's final outcome that much more horrifying for readers. The lighthearted tone Mrs. Hutchinson takes about being late makes the story's final outcome that much more humorous for readers.