|
As an author you have to be able to give your characters good names that fit into the story. Naming characters is not like naming your dog "Spot", because people will be
reading your story critically expecting suitable names. Carson McCullers, Shirley Jackson and Edgar Allan Poe have artfully crafted their character's names so they harmonize with their stories. These
authors have used unique names to help with the understanding of the plot; the themes and the messages.
In the story "Sucker" by Carson McCullers, the names describe the relationship between the main characters and how their friendship changes. In the beginning we find out
that the nickname of the main character in the story is "Sucker". When we are told that a person's moniker is "Sucker" we immediately know that this person is easy to fool "And
Sucker thought anything I did was always swell" p.1. Then there is Pete; the Rock. Pete gives Sucker his nickname and he is hard and mean against Sucker. Towards the end Sucker's eyes change
and get "narrow" p.10 and he gets "up this gang of kids and they have a club" p. 11. Now the tide has turned and Pete is scared of Sucker. On p.12 Pete - the broken Rock - calls Sucker "by his real name, Richard" the Powerful Leader.
In "Sucker" names help you understand the revolution within a relationship, by making the change in the main character's name stand out.
In "The Lottery" we mostly only learn about people’s names, family relations and their work. Shirley Jackson wants to make the story time- and placeless. As the villagers
gather at the Town Square a hint of normalcy is heard as you listen to names like Booby Martin and Harry Jones. However, the lottery is a cruel harvest sacrifice. Also, the villager's names hold a
mystery. The first name we hear is Martin. Before the lottery has even begun, Martin stuffs "his pockets full of stones" p.1. He is Warlike and we can suspect him of being cruel and
eagerly throwing stones later on. Mr. Joe Summers performs the lottery that marks the change of season. Summers is a jovial man with a warm personality. Joe, God Shall Add, has "been
successful in having slips of paper substituted for the chips of wood" p.3. This is one of the several small ritual changes he has made. Old Man Warner, the Army Guard, safeguards the
religious sacrifice. This guardian is like an overseer that makes sure tradition is not broken. When Mr. Adams, the First Man, indirectly pioneers to Old Man Warner that the village should quit
the lottery next year, Warner quickly protects the lottery by snorting "Pack of crazy fools" p.7.
Tessie Hutchinson is the one who gets sacrificed. This name is used differently from the others in the story. "Hutchinson" is a historical name of one of America's
Christian leaders; Anne Hutchinson. In 1636 Anne Hutchinson was charged with heresy and banished from Massachusetts Colony. Several years later she moved to New York where Indians massacred her. By
borrowing the surname Shirley Jackson compares her character's fate with the fate of the historical Anne Hutchinson. They both fought religious rules with little hope that someone would speak in their
defense. In stead they were both "tried," and ended up being slaughtered. Like the other names in the story, the first name holds a surprise. The name Tessie foretells her death. She is the one
that gets Reaped at the harvest ceremony.
The secret behind the names helps explicate the theme. Suddenly, on p.1 the author alerts us and gives us a clue, by writing: "Dickie Delacroix the villager's pronounced his
name Dellacroy - eventually made a great pile of stones". By telling us how they pronounce his name she draws our attention to the villager's names. This is the key that unlocks the mystery. It is
fascinating to fathom that hidden underneath these usual names lies the legendary Atlantis with its marvelous and mysterious treasures.
"The Purloined letter" is a mystery story by Edgar Allan Poe. Here Poe centers his efforts on the plot. Therefore, he uses his names to build up a puzzling and realistic
mood. Poe does this by only giving us the first letter of the characters who are important, political persons such as; the Police Prefect "Monsieur G," and "Minister D," telling us of
a blackmailed women and a "third person who shall remain nameless" p.29. It is obvious to the reader, that this is a very private situation. He wants it to appear as if it is a story from real
life, in which case he has to preserve the anonymity of the persons involved. The only person who is given a full name is an amateur detective; C. Auguste Dupin, a wonted city dweller. However, this
civilian is a man of leisure and intelligence. Poe shows this by letting him name important philosophers and statesmen like Seneca and Machiavelli. While reading the story, we as readers have to take on
the role of a detective. Our role is to investigate exactly like Dupin does. We are trying to learn more about the nameless characters, while he tries to find the Purloined letter. The mood Poe sets up
with the lack of names fits to the mystery genera of the story. We feel like a 4th character in the story; as if we could almost be in that room, taking part in the discussion and the secrecy.
The three authors have used distinctive names to help with the understanding of the plot, the themes, and the messages. Still, all of the stories use names differently. It is easy to
understand what "Sucker" means and how it is used in the story. The literal meaning is key. The lottery has elements that are hard to understand, like the name Tessie Hutchinson, but once
you look deeper it is clear to see how the name is used in the story. This name possesses a historical comparison and a prophecy. As for the Purloined Letter, names are used as part of the plot, because
we are only given the first letter. This element allows us to think in a different way; as a fourth character. Three authors, three stories, three different ways of using names. To have the greatest
understanding of a story, you should always look if anything is hidden behind the names. Authors use character's names not as a mere label, but as a distinct part of their personality, just as much as
their doings and thoughts. Once an author writes a character 's name, that being's soul is carried off with it.
|
