Gogol's mother, Ashima, left behind all family, friends and support to come to America with her husband from a Bengali arranged marriage. Young and naive, she finds unique ways to keep her Indian ties-such as making Rice Krispie treats with red onions and chili peppers. Gogol's father, Ashoke Ganguli, is an MIT electrical engineering doctorate who came to the U.S. to make a better life, but still retains much of the Bengali traditions. .

             The story has barely begun when readers learn that, as the title of the book suggests, "names" and "identities" will be one of the main themes (2). Lahiri will use the concept of names and naming to demonstrate how Gogol's culture at home is so very different than the culture in America, and the conflict these differences will bring. For example, in Bengali fashion Ashima does not refer to her husband by his first name. When she goes into labor and calls out to Ashoke "she doesn't say his name. Ashima never thinks of her husband's name when she thinks of her husband, even though she knows perfectly well what it is. She has adopted his surname but refuses, for propriety's sake, to utter his first" (2). Instead, she utters the query that replaces it, "Are you listening to me?" .

             Similarly, in the hospital Ashima overhears an American woman yell to her husband as she suffers with a contraction, "Goddamnit, goddamn you, this is hell." He retorts, "I love you, sweetheart." Not only does Ashima never expect to hear such words from Ashoke, he is not even by her side during the delivery. She must literally bear her pain and child without him, as he sits in the waiting room. She does not even know what to expect and, in fact, has never even slept alone her entire life. .

             Therefore when they need to name the baby, Ashima and Ashoke know that they will surely follow Bengali tradition in this situation as well. They decide to let Ashima's grandmother in India name the child, since she has done the same with her other six grandchildren.