In light of a 2016 biography and 2020 feature film about writer Shirley Jackson, contemporary readers are rediscovering Jackson’s work. One novel of interest is Hangsaman (1951). This is a book in motion, with shifting realities and narratives that are mirrored in the author’s naming schemes. Moments of disorientation in Hangsaman originate in, and reflect, the inner life of protagonist Natalie Waite. There seem to be multiple Natalies who struggle at times to be whole, and at other times to be a different person entirely. Along with these vicissitudes in personality, the protagonist takes on variations on the name Natalie. At the point at which she is at the greatest risk of losing herself completely, Natalie adopts a new name, the gender-ambiguous Tony. Natalie is ultimately saved from slipping away and becoming Tony through the author’s device of false starts, i.e., opportunities for characters to relive and rename events in a new light, in a different reality. Natalie’s internal journey has been, all along, tracked by her public and private names.

中文翻译：

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雪莉·杰克逊在 Hangsaman 中 Natalie Waite 的本质自我

鉴于 2016 年的传记和 2020 年关于作家雪莉·杰克逊的故事片，当代读者正在重新发现杰克逊的作品。一本有趣的小说是 Hangsaman (1951)。这是一本动态的书，不断变化的现实和叙述反映在作者的命名方案中。Hangsaman 中迷失方向的时刻源于并反映了主角娜塔莉·韦特的内心生活。似乎有多个 Natalies 有时会努力保持完整，有时则完全不同。伴随着这些性格的变迁，主角对娜塔莉的名字有了变化。在她最有可能完全迷失自我的时刻，娜塔莉采用了一个新名字，即性别模糊的托尼。娜塔莉最终免于通过作者的错误开始装置溜走并成为托尼，即角色有机会在不同的现实中以新的视角重温和重命名事件。娜塔莉的内部旅程一直被她的公开和私人名字所追踪。