In the novel, about names?

The novel is highly focused on the power and function of names as not only a unit of language, but also as labels that can help to change and define the things that they are naming. As a professional namer, the protagonist begins the narrative with some level of understanding and respect for the power of names to influence the perception of something. However, as the story progresses, he becomes more aware of the power of names to define history and identity. This journey is concluded by the protagonist’s choice of the name Struggle for the town, for he sees it as reflecting important patterns of the town’s history, history in general, and human nature: “Was Struggle the highest point of human achievement? No. But it was the point past which we could not progress, and a summit in that way” (210).