The concept of the novel is, again, the changes that a person goes through when being transplanted into a different culture, as are Ashima and Ashoke, or being raised between cultures, as is Gogol.
The problem of his name, the family or familiar name versus a real or outside name, the decision to name him Gogol under the pressure of hospital rules when he was born, the decision to give him a real name of Nikhil when he started kindergarten, and Gogol’s refusal to accept that name at the time all seem to have settled into a comfort of sorts until Gogol reaches high school and is faced with the real Gogol in literature class. It seems to upset him more than it should, and even he is aware that while he’s expecting people to relate the discussion to him, they do not. Just as no one has teased him on his name as he’d expected.
Even when his father presents him with a book of Gogol’s work on his fourteenth birthday, Gogol responds as considerately as he can, knowing that it means something to his father, but his emotional response is again, overreaction in a negative way. When he gets to college, he legally changes his name to Nikhil.
It does surprise me that he appears to be so strongly adverse to the name of Gogol, since its really been generally accepted by his friends and never a source of intentional embarrassment or bullying. However, I think I see more than an emotional response to the name. I would say it’s more a rejection of the traditions that he has always been involved in on holidays, yet not a daily part of his routine. He is allowed to dress, eat, enjoy more American based living, and there is perhaps a confusion between the worlds. When the family returns to India for visits, Gogol and his sister do not feel the ties that his parents do. For them, their being raised in American ways make them American.
The other thing that I would think is more a part of Gogol’s rebellion against his name is his natural teenage inclination to assert himself. Changing his name is a big step to establish that separation of child and man, traditions that are not felt are being replaced by determining his identity.
In my senior year of high school, I changed the spelling of my name to include an extra n: Susann. That lasted a few months but forevermore, my year book, my diploma, several awards, are all in a name I just needed to try out.
Gogol notices the difference between Gogol and Nikhil. There is more going on here than a name change.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology