Motif of Names

Elhillo uses the motif of names to ask the main question of the novel - are names earned or do we embody them? This makes the reader consider who they are or who they could have been, and whether our names choose our destinies, or we choose our destinies ourselves. Primarily, Elhillo uses this motif through Nima’s character and identity crisis, as she struggles to define herself. However, she also uses this motif to showcase the challenges of the immigrant identity in America. Finally, she repeatedly reveals through both Nima and her mother’s actions, as well as other characters - that you choose your destiny, and your name - that a name does not choose you. This proves the answer to the reader that one earns their name, and can come to embody it, but it is up to each person to...