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What's in a Name?
I had the opportunity to take an "Introduction to Literature" class this past quarter for college. I, of course, did not see it as an opportunity at the time. It was more of an inconvenience because all the reading and writing I had to do for the class took over the time I could have spent reading or writing what I wanted. Still, when I volunteered to write this editorial, suddenly all sorts of things my professor said came pouring in.
The one that stood out to me the most, as I took this course, was the importance of names. Now everyone knows Guinevere is a heroine's name, but Helga, well, isn't. Of course, you could have a heroine named Helga. She just wouldn't be the same kind of heroine as Guinevere, now would she? In fact, unless you know a Helga that seems more like a Guinevere, or a Guinevere that seems more like a Helga in real life, those two names bring up distinctly different characters to mind. Even more condemning, I bet we all have a similar idea of what a Guinevere heroine would be like.
The names can go deeper than that, however. For example, in A.S. Byatt's "Baglady", the main character is named Daphne Gulver-Robinson. Consider the first name, Daphne; are you more inclined to imagine a young model with a perfect complexion, or an easily over-looked middle-aged woman? Daphne, in the story, is the latter. Which one did you guess? Now think about her last name: Gulver-Robinson. Gulver, sounds like Gulliver, which brings to mind Gulliver's Travels. Robinson can bring to mind Swiss Family Robinson or even Robinson Curuso.
Can you guess what the story is about already? just from the woman's name? You can read an essay about the story here, "Invalid Item" , to see if you were right.
It's not just character names, however. Even place names are important. In a second story I was assigned to read, "Love in L.A.", the street name itself is important to convey the theme of the story. The story is about a harmless car accident. It is only 2 1/2 pages long, but it is rich with metaphors and several underlying meanings. Jake, the main character, seeks to avoid any and all financial responsibility. He wants to live the "high life" without working for it. The accident occurs over the "Hollywood Freeway". Now, what does Hollywood bring to mind? Does it reflect something about Jake?
In a short story, you don't have the same amount of time as novelists do to convey things. You don't have 200+ pages to allow your readers to learn about your characters. If you did, maybe you could have a Guinever-heroine with the name Helga. In a short story, however, naming your heroine Guinevere gives you the leg up. Your reader already has an idea of who Guinevere is, before you even begin to describe her. Names can also convey hidden meanings. I never noticed the "Hollywood Freeway" as being important until a second or third read of the story, but it still had its impact. Just seeing the word "Hollywood" put me in a place where there are alot of dreamers, like Jake's character, so it was easier for me to accept Jake as a dreamer, with minimal input from the author (the author, by the way, succeeded in conveying Jake's character even without the freeway name, of course, but the name did help).
So, think about the names you use. They might be more important than you think.  |
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Short Stories: May 23, 2007 Issue [#1731]
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