Esmé Squalor's maiden name

[lemonmeringue]

I've seen many posts on tumblr insisting that she made Jerome take her name, which would suit their characters, and the Netflix series seems to support this. However, in Snicket's Autobiography, it is made fairly clear taht Squalor is indeed Jerome's last name, while Esmé's name is unknown.

I have considered that qualor is her last name, too, or maybe something else altogether. But since her name is kept secret, I wonder if there is more to it, than just being called this or that. I wonder if her name is a more specific one, and she is maybe another Baudelaire or much rather than that a Snicket. But none of these names really feel right for her. What do you think?

[Uncle Algernon]

It was just mentioned in another thread that Beatrice had an "unpleasant cousin who burnt ants with a magnifying glass as a child", a hobby that this (explicitly female) character shares with young Olaf, interestingly enough. That cousin may well be Esmé, and if so she might indeed be a Baudelaire.

[Hermes]

Interesting idea. I had always supposed it was Jerome who was related to the Baudelaires, partly because he hopes to continue as their guardian after Esme leaves, and partly because we know he knew Beatrice when they were young, although he is not a volunteer. But they might both be related, of course, though through different lines, given that they didn't know one another before their marriage.

Regarding Esme's maiden name, by the way, in a question-and-answer thing that we once had with DH, he suggested that she might have been married before.

[Dante]

There are a great many characters who officially lack either surnames or forenames, so I'm inclined to think that the truth isn't particularly exciting; Fiona and Fernald's surname is set up as more of a mystery (which is to say, still not much of one). So you can probably make up your own mind without fearing that you're missing out on anything. Regarding Handler's suggestion that Jerome might not have been her first husband, I'm sure he was just stirring the pot; but that's something you can use if you so desire.

So far as the Squalors' blood relationship to the Baudelaire family goes, my presumption, which is the most that we can possibly glean from the text, was that Mr. Poe was now so desperate for guardians that old friends of the family qualified as "good enough." This seems consistent with his selections in the subsequent and previous two books.

[Seymour Glass]

In my headcanon, her maiden name is Salinger.

[Glittery666]

I have it as Salinger as a shoutout to To Esme With Love & Squalor.

[R.]

This is in the wrong board.

[Invisible]

In my headcanon, her maiden name is Horowitz. Simply because I like the name. It's a nice name.

[R.]

I made a mistake as to which board it was in.

[smile]

No, you need to remember. In the Vile Village, Mr. Poe tries to arrange for the Baudelaire's 19th cousin, Mr. Fagin, to look after them, but he refuses. So why would Mr. Poe, give them to Sir. and Charles, give them to the Squalors, then try and arrange for for them to live with Mr. Fagin.

[smile]

Oh, and Prufrock Prep.

[Esmé's meme is meh]

Mr. Faggot