Redeeming Love

Names carry a great deal of meaning in the text. Sarah is the best representation of this. She operates under many different names, all of which carry different meanings. Sarah is her given name, dating back to a time when she was innocent and pure. It is also a biblical reference to Abraham’s wife, who was barren but miraculously gave birth to a son. Angel, the name given to her by Duke, is a cruel juxtaposition to her career as a prostitute. Her husband Michael tries out several names for her: Mara, meaning “bitter”; Amanda, which he finds more fitting; and Tirzah, when he is feeling amorous.

Sarah’s real name remains a mystery to Michael for most of the book. She hides it from him because she harbors shame for her past life and still has not accepted God. She refers to herself as Angel or Amanda, fully inhabiting those personalities. Indeed, the only mention of “Sarah” before she reveals her true name is when God speaks.

As such, when Sarah tells Michael her real name at the end of the novel, the moment carries a great deal of symbolic weight.