The idea for ""The Lottery"" came to Jackson as she was

Shirley Jackson told: "the idea for "The Lottery" had come to me while I was pushing my daughter up the hill in her stroller-it was, as I say, a warm morning, and the hill was steep, and besides my daughter, the stroller held the day's groceries-and perhaps the effort of that last 50 yards up the hill put an edge to the story."

Explanation:

"The Lottery" is a short story written by Shirley Jackson in which members of a small community join together every year to follow a tradition according to which, randomly, the destiny of one of them is decided. The raffler winner is stoned to the dead to ensure prosperity for the whole village. The title is a clear instance of irony.