Discuss the possible symbolism of the elements in "The Lottery." Specifically the possible symbolism of the specific names of many of the...

As an allegory, The Lottery
was written with many purposefully symbolic elements.  Like other allegories (such as
The Scarlet Letter or The Pilgrim's Progress)
many of the characters names are supposed to be
symbolic.

Mr. Summers: despite
the fact that Mr. Summers is intimately involved in the tradition of the lottery, his
name suggests joy, positivity, energy.  This character is symbolic of the dual nature of
this town - one that can host a variety of positive activities in addition to the yearly
ritual of death: "square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program, and of course,
the lottery."  Mr. Summers is involved in
everything.

Mr. Graves: as the
postmaster of the town, Mr. Graves holds a position of power.  His name, Graves,
suggests something ominous and/or related to death.  He helps Mr. Summers carry out the
procedure of the lottery directly associating the "death" connotation of his name to the
lottery itself.

Old Man
Warner: the "Old Man" part of this characters name suggests he is a
constant in the town, someone who has been there so long, no one remembers a time when
he wasn't there.  Old Man Warner symbolically represents the tradition of the town and
therefore the tradition of the lottery.  Also, his last name, Warner, suggests him to be
"One who warns."

Mr. Adams: he
is the first character to draw for the lottery because Adams comes first alphabetically,
but this is also a direct reference to Adam as the first man
(Biblical reference).  Interesting too, the Adams' are among only a few characters who
question the lottery.  This could be directly compared to Adam and Eve "questioning" God
when they ate the fruit and changed the course of mankind
forever.

Mrs. Delacroix: she
is a character who is known for her inconsistency and seeming two-faced nature.  Her
last name literally translates in French to "of the cross" and her name could be
symbollic of the same two-faced nature of the crowd in the New Testament who decided
crucify Jesus Christ instead of Barrabus.

*Below you find a
link to further examples of symbolism in the short
story.