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In "The Lottery," what is the symbolism behind names such as Delacroix, Graves, Summers, Warner, Bentham, Hutchinson, and Martin?

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In "The Lottery," the names symbolize various themes and ideas. Mr. Summers represents irony, as his name suggests joy but is linked to a brutal event. Old Man Warner's name reflects his warnings about abandoning tradition. Delacroix, meaning "of the cross," evokes martyrdom. Hutchinson and Martin reference religious reformers Ann Hutchinson and Martin Luther, while Bentham symbolizes utilitarian sacrifice. Graves and Warner offer a grave warning against blind tradition.

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In "The Lottery," Jackson has deliberately created characters with names that reinforce the central themes and ideas of the story. Mr. Summers, for example, is a name synonymous with joy and vitality, but it also reflects the irony at the heart of the story: that the lottery is not an event worth winning but rather an event associated with brutality and death.

Similarly, Old Man Warner's name reflects the warnings that he gives to the other townspeople. We see this, for instance, when Mr. Adams mentions that some other places have abandoned the lottery and Mr. Warner believes that this is a mistake:

"Nothing but trouble in that," Old Man Warner said stoutly. "Pack of young fools."

The name Delacroix also has some significance. This name, for instance, is French in origin and means "of the cross." This evokes a sense of martyrdom but is the...

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exact opposite of what happens in this story:Tessie Hutchinson wins the lottery but she is not a willing martyr, just a victim of this brutal festival.

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Jackson obviously chose the names in her story with careful intent to add an extra level of meaning. Mrs. Hutchinson, who turns out to be the most important person in the story because she becomes the victim, alludes to Ann Hutchinson, a champion during the antinomian religious controversy in Puritan New England in 1636 - 1638. She broke with the religion that had become lifeless by believing that following moral laws was enough to make one a Christian. She supported revivalist ministers who believed that being a Christian meant having a change of heart caused by faith in Jesus Christ--it was not a matter of works. The debate caused a schism in the Puritan community, and as a result, Ann Hutchinson was banished from the colony and excommunicated from the church.

Similarly, the name Martin refers to Martin Luther, another religious reformer who urged people to reject the mindless rituals of Catholicism that were prevalent in the 1500s for true faith in Christ. 

Delacroix was a general of Napoleon; interestingly, Mrs. Delacroix is the one who urges Mrs. Hutchinson to not be so emotional and the one who chooses a very large stone to throw at her friend--mindlessly carrying out orders. 

Jeremy Bentham was the founder of the philosophy of utilitarianism, the concept that morality is defined by whatever brings the most good to the most people. He believed laws should be designed to remove pain from people and produce the most pleasure. In practice, however, utilitarianism is a philosophy that is willing to sacrifice one person if such a sacrifice would benefit the group.

The name Summers is ironic in keeping with the ironically fine summer day on which the brutal human sacrifice takes place. The names Graves and Warner serve as a grave warning about a society that mindlessly follows outdated rituals. 

By understanding the meanings behind the names in this story, one can form a deeper appreciation of what Jackson was getting at--how destructive it is for societies to blindly follow traditions or to blindly fall in line with flawed leadership. 

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Each of the characters you listed could be considered an example of symbolism, some of which are very obvious.  For example, Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves have surnames that are even symbolic; they are in charge of the lottery, which takes place in the summertime and results in a new grave due to the death of the "winner."  In addition, Mr. Summers is the administrator of the lottery and

...Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking again about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done.  The black box grew shabbier each year:  by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained.

Mr. Summers' attempts to convince the townspeople to make a new box are symbolic of those in society who consider the lottery important, such as Old Man Warner.  However, his prodding does not produce a response.  The condition of the black box represents the practice of conducting the lottery, which "some places have already quit."

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In "The Lottery," what allusions, symbols, or irony are in the names Delacroix, Graves, Summer, and Bentham?

Dickie Delacroix is mentioned quite early in the story. He and two other schoolboys have "made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys." He is, clearly, very excited about stoning an innocent person to death later, and it even feels like a game to him and the other boys, just like so many people who had no compunctions about crucifying Christ and attended the crucifixion as though it were some kind of spectator sport.

Mr. Graves, the postmaster, is quite intimately connected with the lottery's proceedings. He carries the stool on which Mr. Summers places the box. The pair of them, together, had "made up the slips of paper and put them in the box," and, between lotteries, the box is sometimes kept in Mr. Graves's barn or even the post office where he works. He is one of the people Mr. Summers talks to "interminably" just prior to the lottery. Mr. Graves even helps with the lottery once it is discovered that Bill Hutchinson has drawn the marked slip of paper. In other words, Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves are the two people most involved in running the lottery, and their names seem to symbolize how the lottery might seem to readers versus how the lottery really is to the characters, respectively. Mr. Summers's name seems so light, just like calling this tradition "a lottery" as though it is something one would want to win, and holding it in the actual summer when the kids are happy to be out of school and formality seems to break down due to the heat. Certainly, his name seems ironic; we don't expect a summer season "lottery" to involve a person's violent death. Mr. Graves's name, on the other hand, calls attention to the deadliness of the tradition, even how serious and sober—or "grave"—a tradition it is. The people are somewhat grave on that day because they know how serious it is.

Bentham is only mentioned once, and very briefly as Mr. Summers conducts the lottery, calling out names one by one. The name probably refers to Jeremy Bentham, the philosopher who founded the concept of utilitarianism; he believed that an action is utilitarian when it benefits more people than it harms. By this definition, then, the lottery could be seen as utilitarian because it brings pleasure to all the people who are not chosen and displeasure to a few. However, it certainly seems cruel to the one chosen in the lottery, and this revelation, perhaps, ought to encourage us to consider whether such a trade is really ethical.

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