In the short story 'The Lottery,' should I capitalize lottery when writing about it:
EX-
The winnings of the Lottery were undesired by all townsfolk.
2 answers
Since Jackson didn't capitalize lottery in the story, you shouldn't capitalize it in your essay.
No, not usually. As I recall Jackson's story, the lottery doesn't have an official title as in "Powerball" or some other name, so it would not be capitalized as a proper noun. Is it capitalized in your imprint of the story? If so, then you should, too. If not, then no.