A few questions about "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Please help?

Well, considering question 1, it doesn't have to be one person. Before WWII, the Germans found a way to blame the Jews for all the problems they suffered after WWI. As for question 2, Jackson doesn't want to be too specific. The story is symbolic and she is deliberately vague so that her story, set in modern times, relates back to the ancient traditions. In fact, she makes it clear that her modern characters don't even know why they have the lottery, but it's always been done and the town wouldn't know what to do if it wasn't. It's deteriorated from a religious type ritual to a superstition. The lottery is a yearly ritual, and Summers asks the questions like those at a Pover seder or a wedding. He's "folksy" about it, but he has to do it that way because that's the way it's always been done. As for question 3, the black box is a ritual object and is the center of the ceremony. You can guess why the color is important.