The Name Game

Ashoke's name means without sorrow, which relates to his character because of how he is the strongest in his family. Although he has been through the most in the past, he is happy with his American life and he does not let his past hold him down. For example, right after the birth of Gogol and the reminder of the worst day of Ashoke's life, "Three days later, Ashoke is back at MIT"(p 34). This shows how he does not let his emotions control him but he lives everyday to the fullest without fear and sadness. Ashima means boundless or limitless. In certain parts of the book this portrays Ashima's personality. For example, after she returned home from the hospital with Gogol, she was overwhelmed and tired of waiting on Ashoke to get home to help her around the house. So, she learns to take care of things herself and, "she begins to pride herself on doing it alone, in devising a routine"(p 34). This represents how she does not let others limit what she sees needs to be done. Nikhil means whole or entire, which is kind of strange since in the book this name represents half of his identity as he gets older. As he has gone by Gogol his whole life, when he goes to college he sees an opportunity to change his name and therefore begins going by Nikhil. When he first used this name, he felt like a different person. When he first kissed a girl, he believed "Gogol had had nothing to do with it" (p 96) because of the fact that he had introduced himself as Nikhil. This name represents how he has a double identity rather than one complete name. Sonali means gold. In the context of the story this represents how she is "the true American" (p 63) because of how money tends to represent America. She is the closest to full American in her family and therefore her name is a way to further represent her life in the book.

My name, Isabella, derives from the English name Elizabeth which means oath. The name Isabella traces back to many connections of royalty and power, which I feel as though I do not personally relate to. My sister's name, Leigha, means weary and relates to her personality of being very hesitant about making decisions and new friends. My brother's name, Rhett, is a dutch name which means advice and counsel. This is funny because of how my brother is very serious all the time and is always trying to find ways to give advice whether people asked for it or not.