Walter’s Theories of Birth and Naming

This thread traces Walter’s elaborate beliefs about conception, childbirth, noses, and names, and their repeated defeat by events.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Conception Theory

Causes Before Birth Walter’s concern Walter believes the circumstances of conception shape a child’s character and fortune. He treats animal spirits as a mechanism that can set a person on the right or wrong course. A comic system The clock question interrupts his thoughts, giving Tristram a comic origin story before birth. Walter’s confidence in causes exceeds the evidence available to him.

The London Lying-In Clause

Contractual Birth Plans A negotiated condition The settlement gives Elizabeth the option of delivering in London, with money reserved for travel and expenses. Walter later invokes a penalty for a false alarm. Private rules, public consequences A household agreement turns childbirth into a legal and financial contest. Tristram presents himself as bearing the cost of his parents’ bargain.

The Compressed Nose

The Birth Mishap The forceps Dr. Slop’s instruments injure Tristram’s nose during delivery. Walter regards the damage as a calamity that threatens the family’s prospects. A small accident enlarged Walter’s response draws on his theory of bodily formation and family honour. The damaged nose becomes a lasting symbol of chance defeating intention.

The Christian Name

A Name Misheard Walter’s preference Walter wants a powerful name such as Trismegistus, believing names shape character. He fears the name Tristram as a sentence to mediocrity. The mistake The curate hears Susannah’s garbled message and christens the child Tristram. Walter’s naming system is defeated by hurried communication.

The Nose Treatises

A Theory Seeks Evidence Competing explanations Walter collects authorities on long noses and debates whether imagination, anatomy, or nurture causes their size. He turns each account into support for his family’s long-nose prejudice. The system’s limits His scholarship produces comic certainty rather than reliable knowledge. The family’s beliefs shape how it interprets even the smallest evidence.

Before Tristram’s conception

At the signing of Walter and Elizabeth’s marriage settlement

During Tristram’s delivery

Immediately after the birth

After Tristram’s birth, during Walter’s family discussions