Names and Identity

The power and significance of names is a major theme in The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, and Philyaw frequently uses the absence of character names to show a lack or suppression of identity. In several stories, the main characters are either named late or not at all. In “Eula” (1) for example, Caroletta’s name is first used as part of a long string of words that Eula utters quickly, “OhCarolettaIthinkhemightaskmetomarryhim” (4), showing that Caroletta exists as an afterthought to a person who is central in her life. In “Not-Daniel” (11) the narrator is never named, but she seems to prefer this, as she appears to be hiding in anonymity at a time when “the nights are endless and sleepless” (13). These examples show the degree to which names hold power over a person’s identity; they can allow someone to be more or less visible depending...