One thing that we haven't really talked about yet is the power of names and language. In any piece of literature, language is an incredibly important aspect of the narrative, whether it affects the semantic of the piece itself, or alters the syntax in such away that it affects the reading. In OSAFS, it's often used to indicate some form of culture - using pin yin (the Chinese phonetic alphabet) to describe food, or some location or tradition, are all ways with which Lee introduced aspects of Asian culture to the narrative. Names are another way used to subtly hint at this multiculturalism. Names such as 'Fan' and 'Cheung' seem distinctly Asian, whereas 'Quig' and 'Loreen' seem far more European/American.
Even aside from the cultural aspect, names carry powerful associations with characters - 'Mister Leo' and 'Miss Cathy' are immediately disassociated from 'normal' characters because of their titles. 'Reg' and 'Vik' almost seem like nicknames, and feel warm and comforting to use, as if casually addressing a good friend. The girls referred to by their numbers (One through Seven) are quite literally conglomerated by their names - seen as a unified collective distinguished only by their individual integers. So even aside from the multi-language aspect of names in OSAFS, we can see that individuals' titles are incredibly important to their characters.
Returning to the 'Asian' part of all this - Oliver and Liwei are remarkably similar names. There are tons of name 'translations' like this - Our own Lauren's Chinese name is Luo Xun (if it's unclear, they sound similar to each other). Oli-ver, Bo Li-wei. To non-Mandarin speakers this may seem like a stretch but it's actually a very common practice to have English names similar in sound or at least based off of the Chinese one (and vice versa - there are plenty of Chinese parents who give their kids English names first, then choose a Chinese one that sounds similar ex. Allen Li ; Li A lun or Tiger Wang ; Wang Tai Ge). So what's the significance of all this? I think a common experience that Asian American's share is impact of one's name on one's identity. Which is my 'real' name? My Chinese name or my English name? Am I Terrence Xiao orXiao Ting Yan? To my American peers, the answer may seem obvious, yet my legal documents, my Chinese friends, and my own parents refer to me by a completely different title. Cringing every time someone attempts to pronounce my last name, and eventually smiling weakly and saying 'close enough' when my friends try and say it 'how it's really pronounced' is an experience that I feel like most Asian people here can relate to, if not directly share. In essence, multicultural names are another aspect of our identity that we have to confront. It's important to recognize this significance in the novel as well - Oliver and Bo Liwei may be the same people, but there is some distinction to be made between these two labels, and the same can be said for all the other characters we have met or will end up meeting.
I think another part of the whole naming thing is the passing down of names and the blending of culture in the post-apocalyptic world. Reg has an afro, oddly, while being born to presumably asian parents, and takes a less asian name. How are names passed down? Who decides these names? When children go to Charters, how does changing their name affect the story?
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