Rose Mellie Rose and Perceptions

“Mellie 3175 is a funny name to say who I am.”

This book’s exploration of the significance of names really stood out to me. The names of the characters, the repetition of names, the names of streets, and the confusion surrounding names emphasize the importance—or the perceived importance—of titles. The characters all lack last names and some of them are only referred to by titles—the truck driver and the photographer. Characters are thus objectified in a sense. They are known by their purpose to others, specifically to the Mellie. This treatment of names points to legitimacy/importance of human individuality and its relevance. Through Mellie, readers see very clearly the disparities between perspectives of the townspeople, but are left to determine their significances along with the still-learning narrator. There were so many Mellie’s that Nem remembers, but this fact doesn’t seem to bother the narrator much. The narrator, however, notices the oddness in her 3175 identification. The power of names draws on the book’s focus on representations and values in language and pictures and how those change from person to person. Nem’s perception of language is drastically different than anyone else’s, he sees Rose in pictures that Mellie does not, and he Mellie in Rose, Rose in Mellie, Mellie in Mellie, as he confuses the names. All of these elements he sees around identity define him more than the people he identifies.