Nemo, the Storm and a Literary Dichotomy

The weather people have decided to name all big storms, not just hurricanes. So the one that is currently (February 8, 2013) threatening and pummeling the area where I live has been christened "Nemo".

It came up in conversation that the name certainly conjures something different today than it did when I was young. Thinking about it, that certainly is true.

The current generation associates Nemo with a cute little animated fish that goes on a great adventure, really through a series of coincidences. Though scary at times his adventure is relatively safe and we, as readers (or viewers), really want him to succeed.

Nemo, when I was a kid, only conjured the Jules Verne character Captain Nemo. He most definitely was NOT on an adventure through coincidence, the adventure was not safe, and most readers do NOT want him to succeed.

Captain Nemo is a much more appropos character to link with this storm than Little Nemo.

I don't think the weather folks had any of this in mind when they set up their list of names. Or will the next big storm be called Ichabod?