notices while striking off the names of other strangers in Harper is the kin-ship between

Rankin and Kindler. But there is more than just a few letters in common between them.

While the townspeople of Harper do not notice it, the overlapping identities of Kindler

and Rankin are really obvious. Their names themselves are clues to their roles in the plot.

David Thomson hints at these in passing when he comments that "[t]he unruly bundle of

Kindler and Rankin (containing the name Kane as well as the dreamy threat of a Kain for

kinder-the puzzle fiend cannot quite not notice these things) is played by Orson Welles

in mustache and wavy hair" (Rosebud 266). Although Thomson himself does not, let us

try to unravel this unruly bundle, for that will lead to the key to unlocking this film.

 Rankin, which is an old English name meaning little shield, provides only a

nominal shield. When Wilson finally confronts Mary about Rankin's past, he actually

accuses her of "shielding a murderer." But Kindler has not remained buried at all, for the

viewer is reminded repeatedly about his being a Nazi fugitive. Kindler is the one whose

name obviously signifies the most authority, since to kindle means to excite or arouse or

set going. As the presumed architect of the Final Solution, the name fits. And Kindler has

a partner in crime. Rankin, with its German roots in "ranke," means plotter or schemer,

one who is full of deceit and duplicity. If we follow these nominal associations, we

discover a slow piling up of too many redundant details. With all these free-floating

associations, I would say that the linear narrative implodes from within. Michael

Anderegg claims that the

 key to understanding what Welles achieves in The Stranger lies in seeing that the
 actor and the character are locked in an irresoluble conflict: Welles's desire to
 expose Franz Kindler as a mad Nazi is in direct opposition to Kindler's desire to
 keep that fact well hidden. Welles wants to play Kindler, while Kindler wants to
 play Rankin. In this contest, Welles wins throughout. (Orson Welles 148)