An inability to be at peace with oneself is a defining connection between the central characters of The Namesake and Into the Wild, written and directed respectively in 2003 and 2007 by Jhumpa Lahiri and Sean Penn. The notion of nomenclature as a means of redefinition is something with which we become familiar in The Namesake, as we observe Gogol Ganguli's ongoing struggle to identify with the Bengali culture of his parents, rather than the American culture in which he is immersed. Similarly, in an act of defiance against his family and the materialistic American society, Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild establishes a new identity for himself when he abandons all possessions and changes his name before venturing into the isolation of the Alaskan wilderness. Aided by devices, notably setting, symbolism, narrative technique, juxtaposition of minor characters and imagery, Lahiri and Penn endeavour to demonstrate the effects of culture, childhood and family, in particular, on shaping individuality.

Diverse settings are employed by Lahiri and Penn to portray culture and its influence on the personas of the central characters. A ceremonial setting is common to both texts and foreshadows the protagonist's desire to retreat from his traditions. Gogol's 'annaprasan' is a customary Indian rice ritual for newborn children, who 'confront [their] destiny' by selecting a 'clump of soil ... ballpoint pen, [or] ... dollar bill' from a plate, respectively representing 'a landowner, scholar or businessman.' Gogol's refusal to choose an object, a rare act, alludes to his reluctance later in life to identify with Bengali culture. Similarly, the formality of Chris' graduation ceremony, established through the thousands of students wearing graduation outfits and musicians playing on bagpipes, is interrupted by Chris' aberrant leap onto the stage when his name is announced,