Say your name, please?

Your name is the first sense that people label you as an outcast. As a child of immigrants, you do not what American society is like and tend to make misconceptions about being treated equally by American children. While some American children do befriend you, others mistreat you often calling you nicknames derived from mispronounciation of your first name and/or last name. In Gogol's case, he is called "Giggle" or "Gargle". Because his name is not common among American children, people tease him whether it is just for fun or whether they actually mean it. They get the impression that people do not like them and so wish to change their names to common American names like "Nick" or "Joe". It is true that Gogol wishes to be called by his name instead of the name his parents give him for school (Nikhil), but eventually, to get rid of part of his heritage as he heads college, he changes his name permanently to Nikhil. Immigrant children do not realize the importance of their name in their youth, but as you age and grow wiser, you understand that your name defines who you are and what you do.