# Can you change a main character's name midway through the story?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-change-a-main-characters-name-midway-through-the-story/136128>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 10, 2002, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-change-a-main-characters-name-midway-through-the-story/136128 "2002-11-10T11:16:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-change-a-main-characters-name-midway-through-the-story/136128/21 "2002-11-11T15:27:53Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Revtim \*  
> **Did the narrator also refer to her as Yehonala from that point on? I’m not talking about dialogue, I mean like when her actions were described. Like:**
> 
> > [@](#):
> >
> > Yehonala walked down the hall and greeted her cousin.
> 
> \*\*Stuff like that. \*\*

Yup, exactly. The change occurred in both dialogue and narration.

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-change-a-main-characters-name-midway-through-the-story/136128/22 "2002-11-11T17:39:47Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \*  
> \*\*They did it in **Mulholland Dr.** and I don’t remember anyone complaining about it being confusing. 😃 \*\*

Heh. When I saw the title of the thread I thought it was going to be someone complaining about David Lynch movies.

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**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-change-a-main-characters-name-midway-through-the-story/136128/23 "2002-11-12T08:19:24Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Would you consider adding a women’s prison scene, where all the girls spoke French? And were very—friendly—to each other?

You just described the basic plot of the extremely rare and valuable _Madeline Goes to Prison_.

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**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2002, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-change-a-main-characters-name-midway-through-the-story/136128/24 "2002-11-12T08:30:30Z")

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I don’t have a copy with me, but the first few lines are:

In a prison in Paris,  
All covered with vines,  
Lived twelve naughty girls,  
Just doing their time.  
And the naughtiest one  
Was Madeline.

Ah the memories I have of my Dad reading this great book to me when I was just a wee lad. This was before that nice policeman came and borrowed this and many other other of his rare children’s literature books to read to his children. They were then nice enough to give him a ride to the airport so that he could spend 3-6 years studying art in France. He graduated from the art school in only 3 years, he was so good, but he still wasn’t allowed to live with us anymore.

Ah, those carefree, happy days of childhood!

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