One of the most famous sayings known to society is “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover,” but what about titles? Are they any different? Many authors spend a long time picking the perfect titles for their books based on plot, characterization and theme; however, every author approaches this concept in a unique way. At times a title can seem bland and irrelevant, but can turn out to be meaningful and sincere. Rainbow Rowell’s novel Eleanor and Park has a very straightforward title. Although the title is concise and to the point, it’s simplicity can reveal a lot about the plot and characters. However, that is not the case for Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel Speak. The reader progressively obtains a better understanding of the significance in the title as they read. Throughout the…show more content… Her speaking dilemma is also used as a symbol for her past traumatic experiences. Literary devices such as plot, characterization, and theme provide significant and meaningful titles for novels.
Both Rowell and Anderson use their plots to provide thoughtful titles for their literary works. The plot of Eleanor and Park revolves around Eleanor Douglas and Park Sheridan who meet on a school bus. They gradually connect through comic books and mixtapes of 80s music, and eventually spark a love story. Park expresses his feeling about Eleanor when he says “Eleanor was right: She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something” (Rowell 165). Park didn’t care that Eleanor was fat and had a weird choice of fashion, but he knew that he loved her and that’s all that mattered. As you can see,
