The Bastard of Istanbul is, at heart, a story about coming to terms with your identity. Almost every character in this book faces some sort of identity crisis. This can be followed specifically by exploring the connection between the idea of ​​the character's identity and his real, concrete name. Some characters hide behind pseudonyms, while others have multiple names. The theme of names as a reflection of a character's identity is prevalent throughout the book. The characters in both the cybercafe and the physical one are always known only by their pseudonyms. In both examples, the names give clues to the character's personality, but by no means tell the whole story. In the cybercafe, we learn that Armanoush calls herself "Madame My-Exiled-Soul". He had chosen this name as a tribute to Zabel Yessaian… Zabel was a fascinating personality… He had lived a tumultuous life…” (Shafak, 113). This certainly gives an idea of ​​what Armanoush sees herself as: a rebel, an intellectual, but also eager to have fun. But that's not all, it's simply the image you give of the world of cybercafés. We see the same thing in the character of the dipsomaniac cartoonist. The initial impression is strengthened only by the name; he is an alcoholic who draws cartoons for a living. Later, however, we discover that there is much more to the character than what we see here. He truly cares for Asya and is willing to change himself for her. “You are my one and only incentive in this life to become a better person” (Shafak, 322). Many of the characters in the story have multiple names. Armanoush's internal conflict over his cultural identity is reflected in the names he uses, Armanoush for his father's family, Amy for his moth... middle of paper... sisters. The characters' attempts to resolve their identity issues is a key theme in The Bastard of Istanbul, and can be followed by the multiple names the characters give themselves to represent different aspects of their personalities. This is a device used by the author to highlight the different aspects of a character's personality: by naming them, they make them more real for the reader. In a way, we see them as distinctly different characters in conflict with each other, a very effective way to communicate internal conflicts in a way that the reader can easily understand. A complete analysis of the characters in this story must treat every aspect of the characters' various personalities as a complete character in itself. Only by understanding each motivation behind the actions can we get a full picture of why the characters behave in a certain way.