"Cracker: The Best Dog in Vietnam" by Cynthia Kadohata - ORB Project - Name Analysis

Rick Hanski- Short for “Richard,” this name comes from the German elements “hard”, meaning “brave” or “hardy”, and “ric”, meaning “power” or “rule”, together forming the meaning “brave power.” This name meaning definitely suits Rick because he is one of the bravest soldiers in Vietnam, and definitely the bravest soldier in this book. He stands above Cody, Twenty-Twenty, and even the sergeant in my opinion because he has a courage deep inside him that surpasses all the rest. At one point in the story, he even faces certain death with a rifle pointed in his face, and he does not fall. With a little bit of help from his dog, he stands tall and comes out the victor. He is able, in his own unique way, to prove to those who doubted him and didn’t believe in him that he is capable of being strong and courageous.
On the other hand, this meaning isn’t exactly perfect for Rick because in spite the description of power his name gives, Rick has never had any confidence in his abilities, and neither has anyone else. Everyone in his life, even his family at times, has told him that he will never amount to anything and that he could never be someone. He has no power, he never has, and he knew that until he did something about it, he never would. For this reason, he joined the army to prove them wrong, and as a one-in-millions soldier under the command of a sergeant, he does just that.

Willie- William comes from the German name Wilhelm, composed of the elements “wil”, meaning “desire”, and “helm”, meaning “protection.” I’d say this name is very fitting for a kid like Willie because he really does desire protection like his name says. This sort of trait is shown through his affection and love for Cracker. Willie loves Cracker not only because she is his pet, but also because she makes him feel safe and protected, and that’s is the kind of thing that a young boy needs in his life. He needs to feel secure so that he may know no limits as to what he feels he can do. Cracker gave that kind of feeling to Willie.
Until Cracker was forced to leave, Willie, in a way, depended on her to keep him safe. However, after she is gone, he must learn to take care of himself a little bit more. For this reason, by the middle of the book and definitely at the end, Willie gains the ability to be strong on his own, and it is through this acquired strength that he is able to give up Cracker to an owner whom he knows will love Cracker as much and as well as he had, if not better. That is why I also feel that this name is not perfectly suited for Willie. He changes over the course of this story into someone who no longer requires protection.

Cody- This name comes from the Gaelic surname “Mac Óda”, meaning “son of Otto”. After some further research, I discovered that the name “Otto” is derived from the German name “Odo”, which means “wealth” or “fortune”. A final analysis concluded that the name means “son of wealthy king”. I don’t know whether or not this name suits Cody because he isn’t focused on a lot in the book (but he’s one of the only characters with a first name). I suppose he could be wealthy, in a sense, because he leaves the army with his life, and when you’re out there that’s the greatest wealth you can have.
Yet at the same time that this is true, Cody is not the son of a king, or at least I’m pretty sure he’s not because it doesn’t mention him as royalty in any way in this book, which is why the name is also not very fitting. Cody is a normal, middle-class person as far as the book says, and he is in no way a man of power in the book. Like Rick, he too is a lowly soldier under the command of a more powerful sergeant. He has neither a wealthy father nor a powerful one (as far as one can tell), so although he is wealthy in some senses, monetarily, he is not.