"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon" (293). "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson is a short story, written in 1948 and takes place in a small town, on June 27th. Every year, a lottery occurs in the which each family of the town participates. The family who is chosen has to repeat the lottery again and one member of that family is sacrificed through stoning. Their belief of this tradition is that human sacrifice will better the food crop later on in the year. Traditions can be dangerous when people follow them blindly.
For many reasons, Shirley Jackson used symbolic names within her work in order for a reader to understand the true meaning of the story. One name is Mr. Summers. He is described as friendly and happy man who conducts the lottery but on the contrary is the one who holds the box that contains the dot of death. The box itself is a symbol in which represents the tradition of the lottery and the villagers illogic loyal to it. The box is falling apart and is no longer black due to its usage and the villagers are unwilling to replace it. Another name is Mr. Graves. Mr. Graves is Mr. Summer's right hand man through the process of the lottery. His job title is the postmaster of the village, which allows him with power to control the town's communication with the world. Mr. Graves's name represents death as well. At the ending of the story, when we learn that the Hutchinsons have "won" the lottery, Mr. Graves takes little Davie Hutchinson's paper from his hand and holds it for him, "Dave stood next to him and looked at him wonderingly"(294). This was probably was little Davie's first introduction to death, as he participates in the death of his mother. Jackson deliberately brought in Mr. Graves to be the one who opens the lottery's barbarous lessons of life and death.
Old Man Warner As Mr. Summers calls out the family names one name from the townspeople that Jackson emphasized on is Delacroix.
