Quote:
Originally Posted by JulieJ08
We can disagree then. I'm sure you're not suggesting that someone, in real life, named Bubba can't accomplish and be anything he wants to be, including professor if he so chooses. I agree he will have some challenges 
But anyway, now I'm really confused about your question. If the names are chosen at birth *because* they have meanings about first born, second born, etc., what does it matter how they "sound"; and I don't get why one child would be given two names that contradict, e.g., Ennis (first/best) Tavish (twin)?
The issue isn't real life, it's fiction. In real life, we're encouraged "not to judge," (but we do anyway). A parent may give a child the name "Timmy" but if he's going to be taken seriously, he may choose to go by Thomas.
I could choose to write about professor Bubba or assasin "Daisy," but I would have to address the dichotomy between their name and their character. Is Daisy a man - with boy-named-Sue syndrome? Or is it an ironic nickname? What challenges does Professor Bubba have to deal with because of his name?
If I pick a name that has a connotation that is inconsistent with the character, it can affect the readers' perception of the character. Since connotation is mostly unconscious - a reader may not even realize that it's a "weak-sounding" name that is influencing their perception of the character.
Who would you expect to win a fight Brutus or Timmy? If all you have is the name (for minor characters), you do have to consider how a name sounds.
The characters I'm mentioning are not the main players in the novel. They're the main character's father and uncle. The backstory will eventually become important, but it's going to be a while before the readers get enough backstory to judge the father and uncle on their own merit, but until then the names are a start.
In fiction and in real life - names matter. Unconsciously people respond to names - often not even realizing that they do (it's why I used the outrageously exagerated examples of Dudley and Snidely).
As to why parents would choose to insensitively name a child or give one child a "better" name, or why they would treat children (especially twins) drastically differently - sadly it happens all the time - and the personal tragedy of it is something I want in the story.
The meanings of the names are important in the story - to set up the unfairness of their relationship (and the tragedy of the parents seeing/treating the children so unfairly) - but the connotation is also important to the reader. The second-rate child turns out to be the stronger person, the more deeply developed character. It's the irony that will be important to the story. He needs to come off as the stronger character.
How the name "sounds" is important, because of the natural (and usually unconscious) tendency for people to judge a character in part by his or her name. For minor characters, who won't get alot of story time, this is probably more important than for the main characters, who will at least have more opportunity through their thoughts and actions (revealed in the novel) to display their character.
