Absalom Kumalo’s wife’s or Stephen Kumalo’s daughter (later in the book) name was not mentioned even when they were wed. The effect the author wants us to have is pondering the name and family relations of the girl to Kumalo’s family. Alan Paton did not give her a name for several reasons. The first one being that he wants to insure innocence of the girl from any mishaps or things that she would witness such as her appearance in the courtroom when Absalom was placed under a sentence of death. Any reactions given from her would remain normal and wouldn’t show deep attachment to Absalom’s situation.
The second one being the author trying to keep her past experiences with family and society anonymous as compared to people whose names were revealed. Alan Paton seem to be maintaining that the girl is a “fresh character”. In other words, she did not do anything major except for the wedding, as compared to Stephen Kumalo who is associated with a lot of events; most of them are related to searching for Absalom.
Another reason why Alan Paton did not give the girl a name is because she would fit into virtually any family or have any kind of friend. Her last name would reveal the family she came from. The absence of the whole name would mean that she could tie in with the Kumalo family.
I think that this was a good decision because it clears up any confusion when she joins Kumalo’s family later in the story. Without a name the author could show gender differences more clearly and simultaneously cover any relations of her family and history in the story. Finally, her innocence in various situations can be maintained.
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