Name-Calling

In the first novella of Paul Theroux's The Elephanta Suite, he introduces the Blundens. Already I see them blundering. Should I? What's in a name anyway, when it comes to naming characters in fiction? I collected some do-and-don'ts to see how the names in Shiva's Arms stack up:

Do: have a name may say something about the character's parents.

In my characters' neighborhood, the father's name and family home is incorporated into the child's name. So my boy Ramesh, whose father is Sambashivan from Trichur, is called T. Sambashivan Ramesh.

Do: choose a name to suit the character's personality, who they are, where they come from or where they are going.

Shiva fits the bill here. The matriarch of the family is named for the god of creation and destruction, whose many arms embrace and repel simultaneously. The name underscores the character's culture shock, her resistance to change, and foreshadows her reconciliation with her daughter-in-law.

Do: let a name give clues about your character's background.

The Sambashivans are South Indian Brahmins, and the name reflects that. Ask anybody.

Don't: fill your story with names that sound alike or that start with the same letter.

Hmmm. We've got Ram, Alice, Shiva, Nela, Nigel, and Sam. The minor characters are all of the Venkatarajapuramgovindaswamyshankaranarayan variety

Do: alternate lengths of names.

Done! See above.