The Haleys looking up at the comets
"How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!"
John Proctor, the hero of "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller utters this line in Act IV of the play. He has been brought to the same court in the village of Salem where several women and girls have been successfully tried for witchcraft.
It is as if this seventeenth century kangaroo court wants to push the accused man as far as it can go in order to strengthen its legitimacy. Though John Proctor has already falsely admitted to witchcraft, Judge Danforth wants him to sign a confession that will be nailed to the church door for all to see.
I was thinking about that line when I read about would-be Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley and her husband Michael.
Nikki Haley's birth name was Nimarata Nikki Randhawa. She was born into an immigrant Sikh family. However, in 1997 she converted to Christianity and now only dresses in western garb. It's as if she has sought to suppress her original Sikh identity and that even extends to her name.
Her military husband is known as Michael Haley though he was born William Michael Haley and up until marrying Nimarata he was always known as Bill after his adoptive father. Apparently, she started calling him Michael and before long Bill was history. Perhaps she had already spotted the potential embarrassment of having a husband who bore the same name as a famous bandleader.
When it comes to music and film, I can understand why some people change their names. Marilyn Monroe sounds a lot more enticing than Norma Jeane Mortenson. And would Elton John have attracted so many fans if he had remained Reginald Kenneth Dwight?
But in the world of politics, most of us hope for steadfast, trustworthy leaders and representatives - not slippery people whose values and ideas are as fluid as their names.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/ojZr6A4