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| Picture of From Aaron to Zoe by Daniel A. Richman |
Whether people acknowledge it or not, names still have great
significance in culture today. If somebody’s name is “like Mud” or if a person
is “no Sherlock,” often times, people may understand the meaning of such
phrases even if they do not fully understand the source. In fiction, characters
may have names with meanings that may reinforce or contradict their
personalities or significance.
Many great books out there, not just Pilgrim’s Progress, have characters with significant names. In The Naming and in The Messenger, the protagonists receive new names that embody their
roles in their societies. In The Kingdom
Series, many of the characters’ names represent biblical characters. Even many
of the characters in The Hunger Games
are representational, and the places may be historical references. Most
recently, some of characters in the Allegiance books have names that either
reflect their personalities or names that the characters rise above.
In my own stories, I may spend days or even months trying to give a particular character a name with meaning. Villains are perhaps
the most difficult characters to name, not necessarily because they are
underdeveloped but because they are so vitally important. I can’t just name one
of the most important characters John Smith, so my antagonist might go through
half a draft with a name like (VN)—for
Villain Name—or simply X. A
successful writing day is one when I can name one character, and it's a superb day
when I can name two.
Throughout Scripture, names have great significance both for
God and for people. Abram, Sarai, and Jacob’s names were changed to Abraham,
Sarah, and Israel. Naomi asked to be called Mara because she felt that her life
was bitter. One of the apostles, Simon, was also called Peter. The list goes
on.
Although not every writer may select names for a particular
meaning, characters tend to embody a name and can even be memorable for them. Those
characters with meaning in their names add layers of quality and depth to
literature, which may be interesting to study when examining certain texts. Meaning
behind a character name is not always necessary, but such names can hold power
in both classical and contemporary literature.
Are there any characters whose names hold meaning that you
view as significant? Do you think it is important for writers to give their
characters’ names meaning?
Literary references: Daniel A. Richman's From Aaron to Zoe: 15,000 Great Baby Names, John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Alison Croggon’s The Naming, Lois Lowry’s The
Messenger, Chuck Black’s The Kingdom
Series, Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger
Games, L. Nicodemus Lyon’s Allegiance
Series, and the Holy Bible.
