Analysis of the Meaning of Shadracks Name

Biblical Origins
Book of Daniel, Chapter Three
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were three Jewish men who were thrown into a fiery
furnace by the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, after they refused to bow down to the
kings image.
They experienced no harm when entering the flames, even though the furnace was
heated seven times greater than normal.
The King promoted these three to higher office after seeing them survive the flames.

Connection to Sula
Fire as a Motif in Sula
Fire is seen throughout the text as a motif surrounding death
Plum and Hannah both die by fire in the novel
I believe Sulas death also comes by fire, and the text surrounding water in her death
sequence is hallucinations or post-death crises.
Page 148: The more she scooped, the more it billowed. At last it covered her,
filled her eyes, her nose, her throat, and s
he woke gagging and overwhelmed
with the smell of smoke. Pain took hold. First a fluttering a of doves in her
stomach, then a kind of burning, followed by a spread of thin wires to other parts
of her body. Once the wires of liquid pain were in place, they jelled and began to
throb. She tried concentrating on the throbs, identifying them as waves, hammer
strokes, razor edges or small explosions. Soon even the variety of the pain bored
her and there was nothing to do, for it was joined by f atigue so great she
could not make a fist or fight the taste of oil at the back of her tongue.
Morrison speaks of smoke and burning at the beginning of the passage
indicating the cause of her imminent death
The language surrounding pain in the spread of thin wires and the
throbbing pain as of waves, hammer strokes, razor edges or small
explosions indicates the burning and pain associated with this type of
death
The boredom and fatigue accompanied by the sentence, she could not
make a fist or fight the taste of oil at the back of her tongue indicates
death
The paragraphs following, regarding water, I believe, indicate the afterlife
In this way, Sulas death comes by fire.

Shadracks Role in the Novel

Shadrack represents looming death in the text as he plays the role of an on-looker to death.
He observes Chicken Littles death, but makes no claim to understand the significance of
what happened, as it is later stated he did not understand Sulas actions to him after
Chicken Littles death Always
He observes the drowning of the members of the Bottom at the end of the novel
He represents National Suicide Day and constantly surrounds the death in this fashion
He served in war and came back bearing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from the
horrific images he saw and experienced

Shadrack never observes death surrounding fire, however. He only observes the
aftermath, seen in his reaction to seeing Sulas body.

Connection Between Name Origins and Character Significance

Given that Shadrack surrounds death in the novel and represents the unknown time aspect of
death, it becomes curious that he is involved in almost all major death in the novel besides
those involving fire.
In the name origins of Shadrack, Shadrach survives the flames he is sentenced to by the King
of Babylon.
Thus, since he survived the flames, he in a sense is immune to fire. So he cannot be an
onlooker to death by flame in the novel.
Morrison represents his character around death, but his name bears protection from fire.
In this way, it can be hypothesized that, had Shadrack observed the deaths of Plum, Hannah,
and Sula, they may not have died by flame.
Because of this theory, Shadrack holds all balance within the novel. Without him observing
major deaths from sources other than fire and NOT observing deaths from fire, some characters
within the text might have survived or perished.
Shadracks grievance for Sulas death after seeing her body then shows his pain for her
passing. If he could have observed it, he could have saved Sula.