Santha is different from Cynthia

In the memoir By Any Other Name, Santha Rau states "But I put it all happily away because it happened to a girl named Cynthia and I was never really particularly interested in her." (Rau 6)  I am very convinced by Santha’s statement of ignoring her unfavorable identity. 

Santha was forced to have another “name”, in this case also known as identity.  On pg 2 the principal of her new school decides to make her an English name, “Cynthia”.  However, Santha does not approve her new name.  When the teacher asks her “What’s your name, dear? (Rau 3), she replies with “I don’t know”.  It is obvious that Santha knows her name, but hopes not to be called Cynthia because she does not want to be labeled as something she is not. 

Unlike many Indian students in Santha’s school, Santha is not afraid of being Indian; she is rather proud of her culture.  Although she was the only one having Indian food for lunch, she was not embarrassed.  This is very different from her Indian classmates, who drooled for Indian food but had sandwich due to peer pressure. 

Another reason Santha rejects her British Identity is because Santha’s live was too different from other British kids in her school.  For example, she could not grasp the system of “competitive games” (Rau 4).  She thought that it would be considered polite to let others win.  However, others criticized her for the custom she practiced in her home. 

Santha believes Cynthia is a completely different person from her.  She is extremely glad to separate Cynthia from her life.  As soon as her sister decides to quit school due racism, Santha receives it as a chance to escape from the school that forces her to change.  She leaves Cynthia behind at school and returns to her original life.