58 APRIL 2020 http://www.writers-online.co.uk
singlehanded. Meanwhile, Mrs
Prodgit is first seen helping herself
to the sherry and ushering Mr Meek
out of his own dining room.
After this inauspicious start, Mrs
Prodgit’s presence in the house
makes Mr Meek feel more and more
unwanted and shunned. Finally Mr
Meek feels it necessary to speak up
on behalf of his baby son. Notice
how he points out that he is not
angry. He is mild (a close synonym
for meek) but also miserable. Notice
that he says he wants to avoid giving
rise to bad feeling and therefore
restricts himself to plaintive words.
The cause of his misery is not
only his own treatment, but the way
that Mrs Bigby and Mrs Prodgit are
conspiring to treat baby Augustus.
The excessive swaddling of the
child, the administering of castor
oil, the sharp frills that irritate
his skin, all seem outrageous and
unnecessary to Mr Meek.
Finally the worm has turned and
he is speaking his mind, but the
outcome of the story is sad, and a
grim reminder of the times in which
Dickens was writing. Perhaps it might
have been avoided if Mr Meek hadMr Meek is the direct cause of other
characters being able to get away with
doing what they like and ultimately
causing harm.
Let’s contrast the name ‘Meek’
with some of the other character
names in the story. The two
antagonists in the story are Mr
Meek’s mother in law, Mrs Bigby,
and his wife’s nurse Mrs Prodgit.
Although these names aren’t directly
meaningful in the way that Meek is,
they do suggest certain things.
Bigby suggests something that
is solid and large, outclassing the
meeks of the world. Prodgit, possibly
suggests one who prods; someone who
interferes and pushes themselves in
where they are not wanted.
Also note the baby’s name.
Augustus and George are strong and
uncompromising names in contrast
to Meek. Augustus means ‘great’
and George means ‘farmer’, but also
has associations with kings and, of
course, St George.
Mr Meek is open about his
nature, admitting to being quiet,
tremulous and small. Mrs Bigby is
by contrast described as terrifying,
unyielding and able to storm a townT
his month we’re going
to look at how names
of characters can be
significant in short
stories. The story I have
chosen, by Charles Dickens, is an
intriguing little tale and, as always,
you will gain most from this master
class if you read it for yourself:
https://writ.rs/dickensbirths.
Dickens is well known for his use of
meaningful, and often striking, names
in his novels. Who wouldn’t tremble
in the presence of a schoolmaster
called Wackford Squeers? Who
could doubt that a character called
Gradgrind would turn out to be hard
and emotionless? And there is a good
reason why Ebenezer Scrooge and
Uriah Heep have passed into common
usage as shorthand for people who are
miserly and manipulative respectively.
In the short story Births. Mrs
Meek, of a Son we get one of the
important names immediately in the
title and opening lines of the story.
The name ‘Meek’ has connotations of
submissiveness, liability to go along
with the wishes of others, quiet,
gentle and easily imposed on. As the
story goes on the meek nature ofWHAT’S IN
A NAME?
Helen M Walters looks at a short story by
Charles Dickens as a starting point to exploring the importance of names in fiction