What's in a Name? "Sommersby"

December's movie night topic was the movie "Sommersby" (with Richard Gere & Jodie Foster). The story goes that Gere's character has been in battle in the Civil War and returns "home" to wife Jodie Foster. But "home" is actually his new, adopted home. The Gere character has assumed the identity of "Sommersby", a comrade who was killed in battle who happened to look just like Gere.(Far-fetched, I know, but then they didn't have many photos then as reminders... we can suspend disbelief and go with it.)

The Gere character despises himself based on his own past and he will settle for nothing less than reinventing himself. Meanwhile, in the intimacy of the "marraige", Foster realizes that Gere is not indeed her husband. Yet a relationship grows and Foster, along with the community, embrace the new "Sommersby". A problem ensues. The actual Sommersby, now dead, was responsible for serious crimes and is to stand trial. Gere's Sommersby must face trial and its possible outcome- a guilty verdict punishable by death.

As the story progresses Gere's hope for an "innocent" verdict grows bleak. And additional complication arises. Gere learns Foster's character has become pregnant with their child. Gere's only hope to escape execution is to confess to the court that he has stolen the real Sommerby's identity. Even the community, who have accepted him as one of their own, encourage him to confess to "identity theft" so that he can escape being hanged. Gere refuses to confess and he is sentenced to death. Gere goes to his death saturated in his pride, leaving wife and unborn child behind.

Gere was desperate to disown his questionable past and he hinged the whole idea of this "purge" on his name-change. The concept so consumed him that he abandoned a wife and child. In becoming a "new man", Sommersby ultimately seems to have become a lesser man, rejecting profound responsibilites, and love, for his ego. Sommersby's sense- the antithesis of Shakespeare's "What's in a name, a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet"- was that a name is everything...

Can you imagine yourself ever inventing a new name for yourself? Say you were moving to a new city and wanted to a fresh start, to become someone new. Everyone in your new life would know you only by your invented name. What would the pros and cons be?