In The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Lahiri uses Gogol’s decision to mark a change his name as a turning point in his life and personality. When he considers his current circumstances, he thinks: “Other boys his age have begun to court girls already, asking them to go to the movies or the pizza parlor, but he cannot imagine saying, ‘Hi, it’s Gogol’ under potentially romantic circumstances. He cannot imagine this at all” (76). While his name is Gogol, Gogol feels uncomfortable and shy about his name. Not only does it not assist him in defining his identity—it is not Indian or American—no one else has the same name as him. Also, after learning the story behind Gogol the author, he is shocked and disgusted that his parents chose this name for him.