The Power of Names

When reading "Thirst" and "In The Penal Colony," the first thing I noticed was the lack of names given to the main characters. In "Thirst," the commander and his wife remain nameless, while in "Penal Colony," the officer, the explorer, the convict, and the soldier are unnamed. At first glance, this seems trivial, a pointless point, yet when you look deeper, it is what makes the story a universal study on human character, instead of just a story.

Think of it this way. If the commander's was named Hank, and his wife Linda, then it would be a story about Hank and Linda, and how they would react in such circumstances. But because they are simply 'the commander' and 'the commander's wife,' this becomes a story about anyone. They could be anyone, you, a friend, anyone. How would a human react? Not Hank, not Linda, but any human being.

The same situation occurs in "Penal Colony," with the explorer, officer, and company. We have multiple character archetypes here, each sharing a completely different point of view. Again, because of the lack of names, this becomes not a "what would Jack do?" situation, but instead, a "What would you do? What would humanity do?" situation. When the explorer struggles with his conscience, it is not 'Rick' struggling, it's any human being. It could be you.

That's the beauty of this stories. They make you stop and think about what you would do in a similar situation. Not Rick, not Jack, not Linda--what would YOU do. And that is a difficult question to ponder. What would you do.