In " PRIVATE DEMONS ". by Judy Oppenheimer, the only bio of Shirley Jackson, that I know of, it says that Shirley, once involved with her future husband, at Syracuse, joined the YCL, though she was actually apolitical , to impress Larry, whom she later married. She went to one or two meeting, never spoke, didn't listen much, and did absolutley NOTHING, zero, zilch, bupkiss, for/with the Communists then, or ever. Later on in life, neither she nor Larry were in any way involved with any Commie movment/organization. It was just a passing bit of rebellion. Her parents, FWIW, were VERY Conservative Republicans.
" THE LOTTERY " was NOT in any way, shape, manner, nor form about Commies. Shirely, herself, said it was about the small Vermont town she and Larry and the kids lived in and anti-Semitism , which was rife there and in most other places in this country back then.
I first read " THE LOTTERY ", when I was about 7 years old and became an avid fan and reader of her works from there on out. :-)