My Name is What
A Rose by any other name still falls for Bernard. And yet, there exists a real power in tying identity to one’s moniker. Many cultures elevate names to lofty or even spiritualistic levels. Lewis Spence writes, “in many Australian tribes a man gives up his name for ever at the time when he undergoes initiation into the ceremonies which confer upon him the rights of manhood…New names are thus probably given at initiation, and carefully concealed for fear of sorcery.” He also reveals that “many Egyptians received two names – the ‘great’ name and the ‘little’ name, or the ‘true’ name and the ‘good’ name; the latter was that made public, but the ‘true’ or ‘great’ name was most carefully concealed.” In short, names are quite important.
The subject of names begs many varied approaches. One way is to look at those that are loaded with significance through their connection to historical figures. This puts into play John Locke, Rousseau, Jacob, and even Edmond Burke. Another method examines the importance of who is called what by whom. For example, names provide tremendously important insight into character relationships, such as those who call Sawyer by his pseudonym versus his real name, and those who refer to Hurley versus Hugo. The fact that Sawyer deemed it important to take on the name of the man he loathed most marks tremendous power attached to names. For this initial leap into the realm of names, I looked into the significance of names based on their origins.
