the Lottery by Shirley Jackson

The scapegoat can be traced to Jewish mysticism. The sins of a village were metaphorically placed on a goat and the goat would be sent away absolving people of their guilt and sin. Tessie, the winner of the lottery, is made a scapegoat and sacrificed for the good of the village. Ironically, we are not given a clear indication exactly what Tessie is being sacrificed for.