What is in a name?

When Dr. Smith asked about the closure of Phantastes, I had absolutely no clue on how I felt about the closure. I felt that novel was really nebulous, although striving to connect with my inner scientist, I had to discount Anodos as an immature little boy who has to have his hand in everything, ignoring all warnings. However, when we were asked about the meaning of Anodos's name, I immediately drew a connection between the closure of the novel and the meaning of the name: "pathless."

As a young adult, I can naturally connect with the idea of the coming of age story. Even more so, I can connect with the idea of feeling like my name is "pathless." Going off to college is the time where we all confront what we have previously thought with skepticism. Am I on the right path? Do I really want to do this (insert career/faith/relationship) for the rest of my life? Rather than being critical of Anodos, I try to see myself in him as he confronts the biblical idea of being  a stranger and a pilgrim on earth. As MacDonald explores what it means to be a stranger, Anodos steers between awe and dread as he wanders Fairy-land (of which I can relate to in college/adult life). As I think more on it, I really enjoyed how MacDonald conveyed Anodos’s blundering efforts to navigate his metaphorical life. Although some of the trees are out to kill him, the white lady is ever elusive, and he is haunted by his ominous Shadow self, Anodos continues his adventure, seeking a path to faith and hope. If that is not the coming of age/college experience, I don't know what is.

Anodos is displaced, constantly wanting to understand the laws that govern Fairy-land. He is forever the outsider, often breaking the rules of common sense, and his quest is primarily for morals within himself. As he loses himself in Fairy-land, it becomes a metaphor for his being at his wit's end. He wants to fix his character by noble suffering and service (which brings to mind the Christian imagery of Jesus on the cross). When he finally comes face to face with death, it turns out that he has found the blessed hope he has been searching for. Perhaps he has given his life fighting for the right moral, and he is rewarded with continuing hope. Anodos does not ultimately arrive in a union with God, but Anodos is no longer a stranger to himself: the pathless wanderer has atlast found his path. Thus closure is found in the fact that he has overcome his name and it no longer describes him. I hope that by the end of my college experience I find the closure of finally finding my path (in the sense of no longer being a stranger to myself).