Jhumpa Lahiri eloquently points out in his novel, The Namesake, “For his [Gogol's] father was right; the only person who didn't take Gogol seriously, the only person who tormented him, the only person chronically aware of and plagued by embarrassment about his name, the only person who constantly questioned him and wished it were otherwise , it was Gogol” ( 100). In this excerpt, the reader explores the implications, consequences, and more of changing your legal name. Gogol Ganguli wishes to change his name to the expected good name, or legal name, Nikhil, although he is already eighteen years old. His father questions his motives by asking who didn't take his son seriously just because of his name. Gogol, about to embark on a new life in college, longs to shed the name he hates and attempt to try out a new identity, one over which he has complete control. This phrase from the novel manifests the protagonist's search for identity and self-understanding through name, culture, and society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Gogol always hated his name. He never understood why he, and the American-born Bengali, had been given the surname of a Russian author. In Bengali tradition, a pet's nickname means nothing; a good name has meaning for the world. A good name describes the person to everything he encounters. His mother's name, Ashima, means the one without boundaries. His sister's name, Sonali, means "she who is golden". These names allow others to know and interpret the person in front of them. Gogol, on the other hand, is a nickname, meaningless, as far as Gogol can see. It means nothing, does not derive from any tradition or culture, and is simply the surname of a dead author whom Gogol's father adored. A name in this sense can identify a person, and as far as Gogol can see, his name is silly and meaningless, two attributes with which he does not want to identify himself. Gogol eventually comes to understand the reasoning behind his seemingly thoughtless and meaningless pet. name. Learning the story of his father's successful escape from death leads to a newfound appreciation for his father, appreciation for his birth name. Even with this, knowing that his name marks the reason his father exists and therefore exists, does not resolve the question of identity. Gogol remains lost in a world full of confident, confident Americans who know who they are, where they come from, and where they are going. Gogol is constantly searching for his identity. As the passage states, he “constantly questioned it.” He questions his parents' lives, his culture, his heritage, and his role in American society. For most of the novel Gogol spends his time searching for an identity as an American, rejecting his family's legacy and confusion of names. harm. Gogol wants nothing to do with people who remain immutable, alien and primitive when the world he is immersed in at school and with friends is full of new ideas and interesting experiences. Here experimentation, love, excitement, indulgence and risk fill the holes in Gogol's unknown identity. He continually searches for himself in others, moving from one love to another. His relationships with women, not unlike his exploration of diverse American lifestyles, demonstrate his constant questioning of identity. Along this path of lifestyles there is one that continually tries to reject. He rejects his parents' Indian-American lifestyle, or at least he does.