Nicknames Define Us

             The point of the “C.Y.E.” by Mary McCarthy, is that the narrator allows others to define her, by over analyzing what she perceives they think about her. The narrator spent her adolescence convinced that every girl thought negatively about her because of her nickname, C.Y.E. She was convinced that it had a negative connotation, but could never bring herself to ask what it meant.  One day, long after she left her school, she had a realization; it could have meant something nice.  The point seems to be that the other girls only had power over the narrator as long as she allowed them too, but then again she owns the nickname and acts strangely.  The narrator seems to want to fit in, but makes choices to stand out. She chooses a strange saint, blushes and becomes ill after passing a sign with her nickname on it, and when she switches schools she still keeps her nickname for a short period.

            The sign for a store called “Cye Bernard,” that the narrator passes every day, shares her nickname and her patron saint. The second part of the sign “Bernard” reminds the narrator of the saint she chose, Saint Bernard, a writer. It is peculiar that she should pick such an unusual saint.  The narrator seems to be a child who is desperate to fit in, she says about herself “I am ambitious, I wish to make friends with the most exciting and powerful girls” (180).  A girl trying to fit in with the popular girls would more likely pick a useful saint, or in the least a well-known saint.  Her saint is not as “useful as the dog that bears his name,” and it is not a popular saint (180).  The nuns appeared shocked when she picked such a dull saint to be her protector.  She is also curious in her actions regarding her nickname.  The Cye Bernard sign causes a curious reaction to the narrator; she feels ill and blushes severely the first time she passes it.  What is strange is that the times after the first time she feels a rush of a mix between fear and giddy excitement. Her reaction to the sign is unusual for a person who is embarrassed by her past nickname. Another strange reaction she has with her nickname occurs at her new school. When she arrives she changes her nickname slightly in the spelling.  She is still called CYE, but her new friends believe it is spelled SI weeks.  She seemed unable to totally let go of her nickname, and then instead of ever asking the girls to stop using it, she “dropped the group of girls who used it” (184). The narrator has a love hate relationship with her nickname.  She secretly wanted a nickname, but she wanted to be on the ins.  The narrator also has trouble asking to be included.

            The narrator can only be happy when she convinces herself of a positive meaning in her adolescent nickname.  She is an odd child, she wants to fit out and stand out at the same time.  She tears herself in different directions, which causes her unhappiness.  Herr natural uniqueness is shown by her personal choice in her saint, while her desire to fit in is shown by the power she gives the other girls over her happiness.The point of the “C.Y.E.” by Mary McCarthy, is that the narrator allows others to define her, by over analyzing what she perceives they think about her. The narrator spent her adolescence convinced that every girl thought negatively about her because of her nickname, C.Y.E. She was convinced that it had a negative connotation, but could never bring herself to ask what it meant.  One day, long after she left her school, she had a realization; it could have meant something nice.  The point seems to be that the other girls only had power over the narrator as long as she allowed them too, but then again she owns the nickname.  She chooses a strange saint, blushes and becomes ill after passing a sign with her nickname on it, and when she switches schools she still keeps her nickname for a short period.

            The sign for a store called “Cye Bernard,” that the narrator passes every day, shares her nickname and her patron saint. The second part of the sign “Bernard” reminds the narrator of the saint she chose, Saint Bernard, a writer. It is peculiar that she should pick such an unusual saint.  The narrator seems to be a child who is desperate to fit in, she says about herself “I am ambitious, I wish to make friends with the most exciting and powerful girls” (180).  A girl trying to fit in with the popular girls would more likely pick a useful saint, or in the least a well-known saint.  Her saint is not as “useful as the dog that bears his name,” and it is not a popular saint (180).  The nuns appeared shocked when she picked such a dull saint to be her protector.  She is also curious in her actions regarding her nickname.  The Cye Bernard sign causes a curious reaction to the narrator; she feels ill and blushes severely the first time she passes it.  What is strange is that the times after the first time she feels a rush of a mix between fear and giddy excitement. Her reaction to the sign is unusual for a person who is embarrassed by her past nickname. Another strange reaction she has with her nickname occurs at her new school. When she arrives she changes her nickname slightly in the spelling.  She is still called CYE, but her new friends believe it is spelled SI weeks.  She seemed unable to totally let go of her nickname, and then instead of ever asking the girls to stop using it, she “dropped the group of girls who used it” (184). The narrator has a love hate relationship with her nickname.  She secretly wanted a nickname, but she wanted to be on the ins.  The narrator also has trouble asking to be included.

            The narrator can only be happy when she convinces herself of a positive meaning in her adolescent nickname.  She is an odd child, she wants to fit out and stand out at the same time.  She tears herself in different directions, which causes her unhappiness.  Herr natural uniqueness is shown by her personal choice in her saint, while her desire to fit in is shown by the power she gives the other girls over her happiness.