Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Name Etymology in NW

This doesn't count as my blog post, but it is something I wanted to share. I think there's something to be said about the names Zadie Smith chooses for her characters. I listed the names of some of the major characters and the meanings of those names, and in parantheses I added some of my own commentary:

Leah = “weary”
Keisha = from Lakeisha (“great joy”)
Felix = Lucky (ironic because being murdered does not make him very lucky)
Annie = Grace (Grace is the name of the other woman Felix was with)
Nathan = Gift from God
Michel = Gift from God (hmm… so Leah marries a guy whose name has the same meaning as the guy she had a crush on throughout her life)

Natalie = Christmas Day (she acquires this name during her relationship with Rodney. She also follows Christianity at this time closer than she does at any other time) 


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