Well I think the characters names have meaning as well :) I was doing some research on Dickens and I found that he commonly adds meaning to the names of characters.
These are just some inferences right now but I am going to do a little research as well...
Gradgrind - Grinding as in machinery or grinding facts into the brains of small children
Harthouse- I think of HARD- house. Lol
Bounderby- At first glance I saw "Bounded by" and then as I remembered that his first name is Josiah.
Josiah
Hebrew,
"Fire of the Lord"
So "Fire of the Lord" is "Bounded"
Kinda cool right? I think this is a comment on how he is a product of coketown.
Cecilia
Latin,
"Blind"
I think this is cool- everyone calls her Sissy but Gradgrind insists on calling her Cecilia which means Blind. By imposing the Facts based curriculum on her she is being blinded, but i think her wanting to be called sissy is more rebellious.
Stephen
Greek,
"Crowned"
When I think of crowned I also think of a Halo, and I think that is befitting of Stephen as he represents sort of a matyr in the story.
Thomas
Greek, Aramaic,
"Twin"
I found this interesting as well, since Thomas doesn't exactly act as a twin or as a very good brother for that matter.
What do you guys think???? :)
http://www.parenting.com/baby-names
ReplyDeleteMy source for name info :)
Haha, this is actually a pretty good idea to look up the meanings of their names!
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting that Mr. Bounderby's name, Josiah, means "fire of the Lord". He certainly has a fiery personality, being extraordinarily stubborn. I can't help but think of all of fire metaphors pertaining to Louisa. And that he is "of the Lord" make me feel like this contributes to his self-righteousness.
Even though Cecilia means 'blind', I feel like it acts counter-intuitively. She might be blind to the fact-based system, yet she is the only one who is able to connect to others and offer sympathy towards Louisa (220), and her sheer courage when she confronts Harthouse. Blindness specifically reminded me of the line the narrator says: "(Harthouse's speech) had no effect on Sissy, fact or no fact" (227) (I feel like I could elaborate on this more, but I don't want the post to run on forever)
When I saw Stephen meant "crowned", I thought of the religious symbol of Jesus Christ and his crown of thorns. I don't think I agree with your interpretation of it being a halo --to me that feels too perfect and happy. Stephen seemed too much of the suffering type to be held to an angelic esteem. I definitely agree with him being a martyr.
~Cam
This is cool! Cam, I definitely agree with your interpretation of Stephen's crown representing martyrdom. I know I talked a little bit about this in class today, but I especially saw this in his dying scene. On his deathbed, Stephen noticed a star and said "reverently," "It ha' shined upon me" (264). I believe the star is a symbol of supernatural powers, like God, and by shining down on Stephen it shows that he was looked upon favorably by the higher power. Additionally, Stephen spoke "reverently," which is a word normally used in adoration of something holy. Combined, this makes Stephen seem devoted to and loved by God. Since this image was depicted on his deathbed, Stephen becomes saintly in the eyes of the reader and appears that he died in God's service. Thus a martyr, the crown of thorns seems appropriate. But, like Rebeka said, I think that makes him seem heroic too. I think they go together.
ReplyDeleteAlso for Cam: I don't know if you will see this again, but if you do, I'd be interested to hear more about your interpretation of Sissy's blindness when confronting Harthouse. Thanks! :)
Emma F
I really like the idea thats been brought up about Stephen being crowned- it emphasizes how unjust his ending was, and really just causes the reader to hate a society that could allow such a pure man to have such an ill end, therefore binding the reader to Dickens cause. Also the historic root names are really cool and really interesting and like how they can be applied to the characters!!! one thing I found in the names was if you look at "Bounderby" its root is Bounder, and the definition of a Bounder is a dishonest man. really Bounderby's who persona is a lie so i think its definitely a fitting last name. Also something "coke" (the root of Coketown) is a purified form of coal. It has a high carbon content and is used in furnaces for smelting iron etc. As coke would have been what fueled factories I believe the name just references the town's focus on production and efficiency. Another name planted by Dickens is Mr. M'Choakumchild... i don't think that one takes very much interpretation haha
ReplyDelete-Chris w
Did any one else notice that although Mr Gradgrind does insist Sissy go by her real name, Cecilia- "Don't call yourself Sissy. Call yourself Cecilia," (p10)- he ends up calling her Sissy himself as she moves in with the Gradgrinds. I thought this might be seem as a chink in Mr. Gradgrinds factual armor, like Sissy- because she is different- is able to bring out a softer side in the character that represents cold, hard, fact itself.
ReplyDelete-Jenny C, period 8