Beyond the Bright Sea

Beyond the Bright Sea’s main characters have multiple names, symbolizing their search for identity.

Each of Crow’s names has a distinct, significant meaning. The name Osh gives the baby he finds is an indelible reminder of this event—“hoarse with crying,” she “cawed over and over” (4), so he decided to call her Crow. She grows to epitomize that name with her physical appearance. Crow later learns that her mother Susanna gave her the name Morgan, a name that has several referents. Morgan honors Nurse Evelyn Morgan for caring for Susanna in the leper colony on Penikese. Morgan also means “bright sea” in Celtic, alluding to the importance of the sea in life on the Elizabeth Islands (173). Each of Crow’s names symbolizes a piece of her origin story—until Osh reveals that she has a third, secret name, one that means daughter. No longer armed with only names that denote the past, Crow now has one that points to the future.

Osh also has multiple names, layered to account for his gradual ability to share the story of his own past. When he first arrives on the islands and refuses to speak to anyone, the summer people call him The Painter—a name that reduces him to his work.