WHAT’S IN A NAME?
This month we’re going to look at how names of characters can be significant in short stories. The story I have chosen, by Charles Dickens, is an intriguing little tale and, as always, you will gain most from this master class if you read it for yourself: https://writ.rs/dickensbirths.
Dickens is well known for his use of meaningful, and often striking, names in his novels. Who wouldn’t tremble in the presence of a schoolmaster called Wackford Squeers? Who could doubt that a character called Gradgrind would turn out to be hard and emotionless? And there is a good reason why Ebenezer Scrooge and Uriah Heep have passed into common usage as shorthand for people who are miserly and manipulative respectively.
In the short story we get one of the important names immediately in the title and opening lines of the story. The name ‘Meek’ has connotations of submissiveness, liability to go along with the wishes of others, quiet, gentle and easily imposed
