Anonymous Characters
(Investigation on Rebecca Roseblum’s short story Chilly Girl, from Once)
In the short story Chilly Girl, the author does not name any of her characters. The main character, for example, is only referred to as “the girl”, and her companion “the man”. Of course, we know that had the author intended the effect of giving her character names, she would have done so. Then by not giving them any names, what kind of atmosphere is she trying to create?
I couldn’t find a lot of information about this particular topic, so I spoke to a number of my friends. Most said that it made the characters less personal, less demanding of your attention, as if they intruded less on your personal space somehow. In one piece I wrote for English class, I used my four-year-old cousin as the main character, but never mentioned his name. I asked people to read it and name my cousin, and found that the names they gave me were drastically different from his real name. I concluded then that by not telling his name, the reader is given more room to see the character as the piece wishes rather than the way the name suggests. However, there are many cases where names would be helpful, such as in stories with many characters to keep track of or where the name adds significantly to your writing.
