Effectiveness of titles in fiction

The title of a piece sets the tone for the reader. It should intrigue readers, and make them want to find out more. Four stories that we examined in class were "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," by J.D. Salinger, "Take all of Murphy," by Vincent Lam, "The Hanged Man," by Ian Rankin and "A Deep Hole," also by Ian Rankin. These stories have titles that are meant to reflect a certain tone in the story.

 Salinger's title is quite effective, as it appears somewhat ridiculous and makes you want to understand it. A "bananafish" is not a real type of fish and therefore it entices the reader to learn more by reading the story. In "Take all of Murphy" the title is both appropriate and effective. The title does not really make sense until part way into the story, when the group names their cadaver, "Murphy." At this point, the reader recognizes part of the reason for the title. The other reason is because at another point in the story, someone takes half of the cadaver's head. The title is also applicable to how the group wants to cut around "Murphy"'s tattoos. In a sense they are not "taking all" of Murphy, because they are leaving his tattoed symbols in tact. This makes the title satisfying and relevant because various parts of the story relate back to the title.

 In "The Hanged Man" the title was also effective and relevant. The only negative element is that the title gave away the ending of the story. Once the reader realizes that the psychic is in fact the killer's mother, it is also divulged that, "in her hand, she was holding a Tarot card. The hanged man." Therefore it is inevitable that there will be a death almost as soon as the reader begins reading the story. The final story, "A Deep Hole" has a title that I do not think is effective. There never is a "deep hole" of any importance within the story. The narrator cannot find a hole big enough to hide the body in, so he returns the body back to Daintry's garage. Even figuratively, there is not a "hole" in the narrator's life unless one considers the fact that he does not have a wife as a “hole”. I do not think that his single status qualifies as a “hole” in his life. Also, at the outset of the story, the narrator begins by saying, "I still dig up roads - sorry, highways." This statement causes the reader to immediately assume that the reason the piece is entitled, "A Deep Hole" is because of the narrator’s profession. This is not only untrue, but could cause the reader to be disinterested right from the beginning of the story. In conclusion, certain titles are very effective because they cause the reader to become intrigued and to want to read more of the story. Other titles are less effective because they do not provide sufficient mystery or encouragement to cause the reader to want to read more of the story.