Taking A Name To Heart

            I was born into this world Aleck Hawk Franceschini. In my experiences it has shown to be quite a unique name. While there are many named Alex, and even some Alec, I have yet to meet another Aleck. However, this is but one of the few titles that I have gone by throughout my lifetime. Each nickname I have received relates to a different aspect of either my personality or physical traits. Some nicknames hold more meaning than others, and different people that I have known and will meet throughout my life will settle on a specific title that they perceive me as. But is that title solely who I am, or am I always just me and the titles are merely synonyms?

            In the story of Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee there is a similar question posed to the one which I have just laid out. Jasmine came into the world as Jyoti, daughter of Pitaji. She is encouraged to learn and educate herself as a child because her parents realize that they will not be able to afford the marriage of a fifth daughter. In what appears to be a tragic accident, her father is gored by a bull and dies from his injuries. Upon this news her mother tries to end her own life. She eventually shaves all her hair off and wraps herself in a coarse blanket needing to be spoon fed. This dramatic incident makes Jyoti think about our purposes here on Earth, and how we are merely shells that are given life in order to complete a task for the almighty, no matter how big or small such a task may be.

            In her first marriage she is given the name Jasmine which she immediately fond of. It is the name her husband Prakash gave her and she truly loves him. Sadly, as with her father, Prakash’s life is taken in a terrorist bombing attack. It was his dream to travel to America and study at Florida’s International Institute of Technology in Tampa. And Jasmine had wanted it to. Being the dedicated and loving wife she is, she fulfilled his dream and made the trip to America. Here some of her greatest transformations are made and she is given a new title for each situation she is put in. She is known as Jazzy to Lillian, Jase to Taylor, and Jane to Bud. Yet there is one name she takes for herself.

            In her first days in America she is the victim of a rape by a crude and disgusting man she refers to as “Half Face.” He was the captain of the boat she came over on and he forces her into a motel with him. She goes to the bathroom with the intention of ending her own life, but upon holding the blade she comes to a new decision. Not to let situations act on her, but to act on her situations. She cuts her tongue, filling her mouth with blood and assumes the identity and title of Kali; the Hindu goddess of death and destruction. She then proceeds to take Half Face’s life by stabbing him to death and leaving him in the motel. While all the other names and titles in the novel are given to her, Kali is the only one she takes for herself.

            It is hard to say what makes us what we are. Would I still be in the same place and have the same friends if my name were Steven or Mike. Hard to say, but like Jasmine I personify whichever title is given to me when in company with those who gave it. And only when I must act on a situation for myself, to protect myself or better my predicament, will I become Aleck Hawk Franceschini.