Character: Names

Character: Names

LAWRENCE
1. 'The Man Who Loved Islands'
  1. Lawrence uses the names and titles of the protagonist to demonstrate his decline in power, coupled with his regression of mental state
    1. Called "The Master" when he creates "minute world of pure perfection", shows the heightened importance the islands and his control of them bring. In first section, HE OWNS THE ISLAND
    2. Becomes "Mr Cathcart" when he is forced to move to second island. Loss of authority but still himself
    3. Represents to reader the extent to which the islands strip Mr Cathcart of his identity until they possess him completely
    4. On final island referred to simply as "he". Exemplifies terrible loss of identity through the unity with the island that he so desired. Also lack of need for names emphasises his isolation as no need to distinguish between him an others
  2. Lawrence characterises the protagonist immediately by his obsession
    1. Referred to in very first sentence as "there was a man who loved islands" - his obsession with islands is clearly most important aspect of his being
    2. Pre-empts the take over of this obsession as in the past tense
2. 'The Prussian Officer'
  1. In 'The Prussian Officer', Lawrence uses names to establish a power balance between the protagonists
    1. Predominately uses "orderly" and "officer" or "captain" to refer to them, using military status to exert power over orderly
    2. Grants oficer status which is demolished bu represses homosexuality: allows reader to further understand humiliation this must bring
      1. Power must be reinstated: through violence
    3. Ultimately, Lawrence does this to establish inate sense of control held by Officer over orderly, pre-empting the oppression that follows
BROWNING
1. Browning chooses to create some of his characters without names, highlighting to the reader their insignificance in the eyes of the narrator
  1. 'My Last Duchess'
    1. Use of the possessive "my" places the Duchess under the control of the Duke - she is immediately inferior
      1. Demonstrates Duke's arrogance and desire for control - a control rejected by is late wife, as shown in her behaviour
    2. "Last" gives the impression that there are further Duchesses to come: sinister future for woman
    3. The Duchess is referred to solely through the perception of the Duke, as his possession. This is used to characterise the Duke as power-hungry and paranoid, and to exemplify his disregard towards the duchess - he makes no effort even to name her. Reflects the conversational tone of the poem
2. Browning uses names to demonstrate a character's loyalties or actions
  1. 'The Patriot'
    1. Title itself our only form of a name
    2. Characterises the protagonist by his sense of duty, reflected in the herois first two stanzas
      1. Bitter irony as country turns on him
    3. Heightens sense of betrayal when country punishes him in last two stanzas
    4. Browning criticises the traditional attitudes of patriotism and the constructed theory that it equals greatness by displaying a "patriot" gone wrong
AUDEN
1. Auden uses the names of characters to create irony in relation to their actions
  1. Victor
    1. Seems to have won, ironic as as a man he is sidelined from society ad "too timid"n
    2. Foreshadows some sort of rise in power: achieved through the murder of Anna and his control over her - and life
  2. James Honeyman
    1. Sweet and innocent name. Reflects his naivity towards the power of his NPC
    2. Mirrors theme of seemingly innocuous imagery throughout poem. Adds sinister feel, foreshadowing destructive end
2. Auden uses names to characterise figures
  1. Miss Gee
    1. Immediately presented as simplistic and single
    2. Disparages her intelligence and makes her seem insignificaned
    3. Referred to by her "sarcoma", metonymy emphasises how she is exploited by doctors and public alike for their gain
    4. Auden criticises the immediate judgement even the reader makes from superficial values such as a name
McCARTHY
1. 'The Road'
  1. McCarthy rejects names for many of his characters, choosing instead to present them with an air of anonymity
    1. For example, the boy, referred to by rough age and gender. He is unforgettably a child of the new world and so we can assume that his hopeful characteristics are ones tied to the new world
    2. Makes characters universal: novel becomes about humanity rather than a specific being
    3. Show loss of old world traditions and identity, "who is anybody?"
    4. Demonstrates significance of family unit: no need to distinguish between them and others as there are no other man-and-boy group in hostle world
    5. Man referred to by gender and relative age. Characterises him as the experienced adult - maybe he further understands the brutality of self-preservation, explaining his acceptance of violence as a necessity
  2. Some figures are referred to more specifically, presenting connotations which immediately characterise them in the reader's mind
    1. e.g. the "blood-cults" or "marauders" - expansion on their character offered otrneeded
    2. Defined by violence, fulfilling cliche of bad guys and once again emphasising the passive nature of the man and boy against the need to survive
    3. Described as mass, isolating the man and boy

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	Created by peggyhughes over 10 years ago