Complication of the Protagonist’s Names and Naming in Sylvie Germain’s Magnus

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to study the complication of the protagonist’s names and naming in Sylvie Germain’s Magnus. The results of the study are as follows. First, given names that family members choose for the protagonist reveal Nazism and Christian belief of the family. Second, references of names of people in the Old Testament and the New Testament in those of the protagonist and his surroundings suggest the author’s viewpoint on Christianity – each individual can interpret the Bible in a way that is different from the Church’s intention. Third, the name “Magnus”, which is mainly used by the protagonist, denies any social intervention on the protagonist’s identity. It presents his identity as well as alienates it. Last, the fact of being nameless and in search of a name of the protagonist illustrates deception in life and the loneliness of Europeans after the Second World War.