What's in a Name?

The protagonist of Flannery O’Conner’s, The River is a young boy, Harry Ashfield.  However, soon after the start of the story he declares himself Bevel. This is the name of the preacher whom his babysitter, Mrs. Connin, reveres.  This renaming is one of the major turning points of the story. Harry calls himself this for an entire day both to liken himself to something his babysitter admires, and to escape his own disappointing home life.

         Upon meeting Mrs. Connin, Harry is immediately shown more affection than he is used to receiving. The story opens with his father shoving him in his coat the wrong way, an error that Mrs. Connin scolds him for and fixes herself. She refers to him as “Sugar Boy” and lets him sit on her lap and borrow her handkerchief. These are all things we can infer Harry isn’t accustomed to by his reaction- he folds her handkerchief carefully, tucking it safely in his pocket. He instantly associates Mrs. Connin with a mother figure, and wants to further win her affection. After she says, “You’ll like this preacher, The Reverend Bevel Summers. You ought to hear him sing,” Harry realized that she is very fond of The Reverend, and chooses to call himself by the same name hoping it would liken himself to him.

         Upon his return home, the reader can clearly see that Harry is greatly neglected. His mother takes the book Harry got from the babysitter’s house and reads it aloud, mocking his newfound beliefs. She berates him, as he falls asleep saying, “What did that dolt of a preacher say about me? What lies have you been telling today, honey?” She isn’t at all concerned with Harry’s decision to be baptized, only what the preacher had to say about her bad habits of partying and disregard for her child. This abuse at home makes Harry feel unloved, and causes him to struggle with a lack of identity. He’d rather be Bevel than Harry Ashfield, so he lies about it to someone who doesn’t know any better to escape his home life.

         Despite the brief bout of love and affection he is shown by Mrs. Connin, Harry is smothered by his mistreatment back home. He returns to the apartment unable to shake the events of the day before. Not only did he christen himself Bevel, but he was baptized under that name. Returning to the apartment after his encounter with religious faith is too much for him, and he sneaks out to revisit the river. Although he is unable to swim to the Kingdom of Christ, he is able to escape the life he hates as Harry Ashfield, be it somewhat tragically.