An Analysis of Names

The YA novel Hero by Perry Moore is about Thom, a gay teenager with superpowers who deals with the disdain of his father and his fellow heroes while coming to terms with who he is. While I was reading this book, I noticed that the names of several characters have a connection to their personality, or are simply interesting. So here is my analysis of their names.

Thom Creed
Thom's first name is a short form of Thomas, meaning "twin" in Greek. This is connected with his inner struggle- one half of mind wants to please his father, while the other wants to be who he is. Since twins may be referred to as two halves, this is an accurate first name. His surname, Creed, means "a statement of beliefs, principles, or opinions", something Thom doesn't really do until near the end of the book. It seems that the twins need to reconcile in order to state their beliefs.

Ruth Whitliff
Ruth, an elderly woman who can see the future, is Thom's first friend within the legion of superheroes. Her first name means "friendship" in Hebrew- this has to be more than a coincidence. (Whitliff doesn't seem to have any specific meaning; simply an aristocratic name that reflects her upper-middle-class ancestry.)

Hal and Lila Creed
Hal, a diminutive form of Harold, is an English name meaning "army ruler".  This connects with his army service, but also his leader-type demeanor*. Lila is a Persian name meaning "lilac tree", but it can also mean "night" or "you are mine" in Hebrew. The flower name connects with the scent of gardenias Thom associates with his mother; "night" can be connected with the time she returned to visit him, or the time of day she left her family. An army leader and a night flower seems like an unlikely combination, but she is still his to the end.

Miss Scarlett and Typhoid Larry
Two of Thom's team members, Scarlett and Larry are two of the unlikeliest people to become friends. Scarlett is an English name meaning "red", but a better meaning is associated with Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With the Wind. Mr. Moore's Scarlett has inherited Ms. O'Hara's "cold-blooded tenacity" and flirtatious manner, as well as a penchant for the color red. Typhoid Larry, who can infect people with a handshake, is a parody of Typhoid Mary, the Irish cook who allegedly infected 50 people with her cooking. Larry is also a short form of Lawrence, an English name meaning "laurel". A laurel wreath was historically awarded to game champions or victors of a battle; Larry's sacrificing himself to save the world earns him a posthumous, metaphorical laurel wreath from Thom.

Golden Boy and Uberman
Uberman's name states who he is; the personification of masculinity (especially in Thom's eyes). Golden Boy's name does much the same; he's the sidekick doing everything he can to maintain a good image for his superiors, and in the beginning of the book, he's "nauseatingly kiss-ass" in Thom's opinion. His first name, Kevin, means "handsome" in Irish, connecting with his good looks- and it's this handsome, unusually successful young man** who wins Scarlett's heart (much like Scarlett and Rhett in Gone With the Wind).

Justice and Goran
Justice is a parody of Superman, from the alien ancestry to being adopted by older farmers in Kansas. He means to bring justice to Earth, and he does; at least until he decides he wants justice for his destroyed planet and nearly blows up the Earth in the process. Goran, the basketball player from Croatia, is an enigmatic young man who also wants his own justice, becoming a vigilante hero in the process. His name can metaphorically mean "the big/tall one", which reflects his imposing size.


*Hal's superhero alias was 'Major Might'; his first name ties in neatly with this.
**The expression  'golden boy' means someone who is unusually successful at an early age. Kevin's hero status, at the age of nineteen or so, is pretty successful, considering the fact that he's an orphan of unknown race.

"Sick Lit Books Aimed at Children"- summary

The Daily Mail article "Sick Lit Books Aimed at Children", by Tanith Carey, presents the idea that YA books about darker issues are not good for teenagers. Ms. Carey presents her idea by paraphrasing the plots of several books that deal with "the harsh realities of terminal illness, depression, and death"- namely, The Fault In Our Stars, Never Eighteen, and Before I Die. She continues by talking about books that deal with suicide; specifically how there are entire books on the subject when other forms of media will gloss over it "for fear of encouraging copycat behavior".  She calls such books "morbid" and "mawkish", saying that using teenagers with severe situations to build dramatic tension is "distasteful". She concludes with a quote from a child psychologist: "Let's hope publishers do have young people's interests at heart- and they are not selling books by sensationalizing children's suffering."
Ms. Carey uses many craft moves to convey her ideas. Her tone is disdainful towards these books and their publishers- she uses loaded words such as "disdainful", "morbid", "exploitative", and "questionable". She quotes psychologists who agree with her opinion, while also addressing the counterclaim with quotes from others who have opposing views on the subject. She urges parents to check up on their children's reading habits; her tone is sympathetic towards them.
While her article is well-written, I disagree with her. I think it's important for young adults to read books addressing darker themes. Things such as death and illness are part of life, and it's easier to connect with a protagonist who is going through the same troubles. Reading about subjects such as suicidal depression and self-harm doesn't encourage the reader to start cutting...which is why the term 'sick-lit' stood out to me. Is everything not about vampires and supernatural stuff unhealthy for teens?

Personality v. Fitting In

Have you ever felt pressured to fit in, but you want to be recognized for who you are?
Welcome to J's world.  J, the protagonist of the book I Am J, is seventeen years old, a junior in high school, and transgender. He's not gay; he believes he's a boy mistakenly born into a girl's body. No one understands this belief, and for much of the book J hides himself away under oversize sweaters and baggy jeans until he gains enough confidence to reveal his personality.
J and the people who helped him on his journey send an important message- teenagers (in books and real life) shouldn't hide who they really are. Personality is more important than fitting in.
A good example of this is J's one-time girlfriend Blue (Basia Karasinska). Blue is an artist who only paints using the color blue. Her entirely blue outfits, abstract paintings, and possibly the habit of eating her blue paint, have earned her the nickname "Blue" from her friends. During her appearances in I Am J, she makes no attempt to hide this (despite her mother's protests), even offering J some of her paint to eat when he visits. While she doesn't understand that J is transgender, I believe her confidence in showing who she is helped J to gain some of his own- after his 'coming-out', he recalls her old paintings and decides to exhibit some of his old photographs. The photographs he chooses include ones that show his transition into a male, and are seen by many people. Without Blue's confidence in her art, I think he would have been less willing to show his.
J himself undergoes many changes throughout the book. In the beginning, he is a shy and awkward teen who avoids socializing and the uncomfortable questions of his overprotective mom, who simply wants her little girl back. But after he leaves home and goes to an LGBTQ high school and support group, the friends he makes there give him the support he needs to explain his sexuality to his mother and let his personality shine through. This is shown when he gets accepted to a community college as a young man- while his also-transgender friend Chanelle (male-to-female, reverse of J) acted a man over the phone to sign him up, it was his idea to list himself as the gender he believes he is, male. Without confidence, he wouldn't have been able to bill himself as a man, or even sign up for college.
Before this, J's personality marked him as a 'freak'. Now he doesn't care about fitting in. I believe that teens can use him as an example. With a little support, anyone can be themselves and not be afraid.