A few pages into my reading of Old School, I was struck by the significance of characters' names, most notably Makepeace and Gershon. After the narrator's encounter with the school janitor, which results in a visit to the dean's office, I referred back to other names to see if they held the same value as the two men. Makepeace seems the most straightforward characterization of his name, especially when he urges the narrator to "clear things up with Gershon" (21), and even the subtle act of leading applause for Robert Frost in what seems to be a moment of uncomfortable silence. Speaking of Gershon, his name became more meaningful with the information of his Jewish heritage and his experiences during the war. Gershon, an Old Testament figure, is paralleled to Wolff's Gershon. The biblical figure is appointed service to the building of the tabernacle. Wolff's custodian leads a life of service as well. Gershon, whose name means "banishment," along with other Israelites, is commanded to leave Sinai. I equate this with Gershon and other Jews being taken from their homes to camps during the war. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but it does seem significant that this name over others was chosen. Even the narrator's friends have names that suggest a deeper meaning. George Kellogg and Jeff Purcell possess fairly prominent names: Kellogg calling to mind, among many of that name, the cereal manufacturer. Purcell, I think, referencing the Baroque composer. I have yet to understand the importance, if any, of these names but I think I have a fair analysis of Bill White's name. There seems to be a lot of emphasis on the fact that Bill is Jewish and the narrator's befuddlement at such an idea. He is the "poster Aryan--so blond, so fair, so handsome" (74). Bill is white ... or rather whitewashed. His very name masks his identity and bears his secret. Which begs the question: Why the need for such a secret? The narrator's concern of his own Jewish heritage is an issue as well. Understandably, it is 1960 and people are still feeling the effects of the Holocaust, but how does this concern play into the narrator's story? Perhaps it is an issue of which he will come to terms as he begins to learn more about himself--which is a major preoccupation in the novel, as Vicki pointed out. To quote myself from my first blog entry, the narrator's "views on politics, religion, sociology, psychology, and life in general" seem to be "in a constant state of metamorphosis depending on how the things [he] read[s] affect [him]." From Maupassant to Frost to Rand, and finally to his old standby Hemingway, the narrator seems to define himself in terms of each author's views on life. While I generally agree with Steve F's assessment of humanizing each author, I believe Wolff's purpose is to illustrate the fleeting nature of young people and how they are easily influenced by outside forces. Perhaps the narrator will come to this conclusion that, again as Steve so eloquently stated, imitation is not the surest path to success. On a personal note, I can sympathize with the narrator's investment in an author, his stories and his characters, specifically Hemingway's In Our Time. Each story in the book is filled with such substantial characters and a very subtle but important message is sent, that it is understandably difficult for the narrator to go back to reading The Fountainhead, which seems a shallow story based on the egomaniacal Frank Lloyd Wright. But that's just my opinion.