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If the characters are strong, the name gets molded to the character; if they're weak, it's the other way around. "The World According to Garp" makes a pretty big deal about Garp's name - both the ...
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#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T00:39:01Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/256 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
by
Mark Eichenlaub
·
2019-12-08T00:39:01Z (almost 5 years ago)
If the characters are strong, the name gets molded to the character; if they're weak, it's the other way around. "The World According to Garp" makes a pretty big deal about Garp's name - both the word "Garp" and why Garp's mother selected that name play important roles. Nonetheless, I don't think the story would have had a significantly different impact on me if Garp had been named "John". We identify with characters based on who they are - their name becomes a convenient flag for that.
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2010-11-19T21:17:42Z (about 14 years ago)
Original score: 19