"'You are to bring honor to your family,' my mother cautioned. 'Do nothing that will bring disrespect on our good name.'" (Bless Me, Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya, 53)
Why are names so important? I have theories, but I don't feel they adequately delve into the subject. However, for the sake of this post, my main theory is simply this:
Names create a sense of individual identity. Within a group, they create a sense of unity.
This is a crucial component of Bless Me, Ultima. Although I have only read a portion of the novel, it's clear that the Márez and Luna families place much emphasis on their name. This is something we discussed in class. But I want to take it a step further.
Why do we need a name to identify who we are?
Antonio is not simply Antonio. He is Antonio Juan Márez y Luna. He has his father's name and his mother's name. He is identified as an individual (Antonio) but within an established group- in his case, two established groups. He is a culmination of everyone that has come before. Expectations, behaviors, everything is based off of who preceded him in his family.
We are a product of what has come before. Whether or not we were raised by biological parents, aunts, uncles, adoptive parents, whoever, the idea is the same.
We were raised by someone who was raised by someone else, who was raised by someone else, who was raised by someone else. I could go on, but you get the point.
Our names connect us to the chain. Maybe they aren't actually important when it really comes down to it. But the symbolism of a name, that identifiable, connecting component, is important.
Does this make sense?
No comments:
Post a Comment