The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri Essay

In order to find his identity he went against his parent’s wishes in attending Columbia, but instead attending Yale. But before he set off for college he went through the legal process of changing his name. To his surprise it was a very mechanical task. His reasoning to the judge for the change “I hate the name Gogol, “he says I’ve always hated it.” “Very well”, the judge says stamping and signing the form, then returning it to the clerk. He is told the notice of the new name must be given to all other agencies, and that it’s his responsibility to notify the Registry of Motor Vehicles, banks, schools” (102). Although the moment in the courtroom was not as momentous as he had imagined, he stepped in there as Gogol Gangouli and left as Nikhil Gangouli in twenty minutes. A moment he waited eighteen years for finally arrived. Now that he is free of his parents and his old name, he can now be confident, especially with women in introducing himself without anticipating unwelcomed questions about his name.

The major reason that causes Gogol to rethink his relationships and his identity is the meaning of his name. When he was younger, he wanted to be called Nick and went by this name after high school. As he used the name, Nick, he severed ties with his traditions which showed from when he did not visit his parents and completely forgot his life before becoming Nick. Flashbacks were utilized several times in this film to portray Gogol growing up and the train crash which inspired Ashoke to name his son Gogol. In the scene where Ashoke drives with Gogol, he finally discloses how Gogol’s name really came to be. We see a flashback to the train collision when Ashoke was found

Difficult choices come and go from our life. Like trying to understand who you are as a person and where you come from. In the book The Namesake, a boy named Gogol grows up in a cultural Bengali family while living in a different country with different customs. Gogol is special because he is trying to balance the two cultures. Gogol tries to understand and learn his family's culture but tends to pick and choose things from each culture to fit his lifestyle. His response to his cultural collision is very unique. From this cultural collision Gogol question himself and his life decisions.

Everyone all experience a period of questioning their identity at some degree, whether it be as long as a life time or just a few years. In the The Namesake, Gogol, the main character, experiences identity crisis while struggling to fit between two different cultures. Throughout reading The Namesake, readers understand, yet question, Gogol’s desire to rebel against the the world of his Indian self. One world, his Bengali heritage, is unique compared to the majority of American people. The other offers a “normal” American life in the United States, requiring Gogol’s efforts to assimilate. As a result of the conflicts between them, Gogol lives a life of pushing and pulling between these two worlds as opposed to accepting his nationality. Unlike

On Gogol’s first day of school, he gets his first taste of the cultural tension that his name and “good name” generate in

In the beginning of the novel, Gogol’s struggle with his identity begins with his name. The first issue was when he was first born. His mother, Ashima, and his father, Ashoke, had planned on waiting for a letter containing the chosen names for their child from Ashima’s grandmother in India, to arrive. But the hospital would not let them be discharged until the baby had a name. Soon enough Ashoke had come up with a name. When Lahiri writes, “But for the first time he thinks of that moment not with terror, but with gratitude” (Lahiri 28), it is evident that after the train accident Ashoke does not remember the

He is bewildered as to why his father named him Gogol as it not Bengali nor a normal American name which leads him to struggle to understand himself and his identity. In Bengali families, "individual names are sacred, inviolable. They are not meant to be inherited or shared" (28). However, Gogol grows up living in America, where children are often ashamed of their differences from others. As a teenager, Gogol desires to blend in and to live unnoticed. This presents a struggle between two cultures. Ashima and Ashoke want to raise Gogol and his younger sister with Bengali culture and values. On the other hand Gogol grew wanting to belong by relating mostly to peers and the surrounding culture in America. It is only much later in their lives that they begin to truly value their Bengali heritage and that Gogol finds the importance in his name. During high school Gogol struggles to accept his name as he sees it has no real significance not him. When Gogol heads for college he rejects his identity completely and legally changes his name to Nikhil which allows him to somewhat feel a sense of belonging as this name relates to his Bengali roots, even though he had been ashamed of those exact roots in schooling. Gogol dreads having to go visit home and return to a life where he is "Gogol". To him, Gogol is not only his name; it bears all his discomfort and struggles to fit into two different cultures as he grew up. His life at college makes it easy for Gogol to live as

Born in 1968 to Ashoke, an engineering student, and Ashima, a young bride new to America and its cultural differences compared to hers. Gogol has an internal conflict with his identity, his name, his culture, and his life as he struggles to understand what he wants. Gogol crosses into an identity crisis; he reinvents himself by legally changing his name to Nikhil, and becomes a new person once he goes out to a party. Though, this is where the events begin, and fate takes its toll on Nikhil. This change begins to affect him positively, as he gains a great deal of confidence and suddenly finds himself well with women.

Scene: Gogol Ganguli rejects his parents’ choosing of his name when he was first born. Before going to college, Gogol formally changes his name to “Nikhil” so that everyone would recognize him as

He first clings to enchanting white women, hoping to adopt their identities so he can escape the perplexity of his own, but the cultural clashes pervade both relationships. While dating Maxine, a wealthy New Yorker, Gogol notes, “She has the gift of accepting her life…he realizes that she never wished she were anyone other than her herself…This, in his opinion, is the biggest difference between them,” highlighting his personal struggle with accepting his heritage (138). Gogol’s glamorous romance with Maxine is juxtaposed to the humiliation he feels for his family to stress his longing to cast-off his Bengali identity. Judith Ceaser observes, “[Gogol and Maxine’s relationship] is a lovely, expensive, comfortable identity, given to him as a love-token…to him it seems a rejection of [his parents] …He hasn’t yet realized that instead of being an identity imposed on him from outside, they are a part of the pattern of key relationships in his life through which he can define himself,” provoking the idea that Gogol’s stubborn naïveté is the source of his unhappiness (Ceasar). When Maxine’s unwillingness to adapt to Bengali culture drives them apart, Gogol searches for a more ordinary love. Moushimi, the daughter of Bengali family friends, should be mundane and comfortable to Gogol, yet their relationship is plagued by complexities. Both view each other as

Firstly, the protagonist, Gogol is faced with the challenge of finding his identity, a major theme present

As Gogol is growing up, he realizes that his name is not common among American people. He begins to question why he was named Gogol. His father suggests him to read about Nikolai Gogol, which Gogol refuses to read and makes excuses. He becomes embarrassed by it in school. He decides to change his name legally to “Nikhil”, a name that is simple and no one can question. This is an act of betrayal as well as cultural assimilation mainly against his father. His father had named him Gogol because when he had a near death experience, he was reading short stories by Nikolai Gogol. He was found alive with a torn page of the book in his hand. In a way, the Russian author had saved his life. By changing his name, Gogol betrays his father’s belief in the name of Gogol, a name that symbolizes

In this collection of quotes from page 96 Gogol says Nikhil for the first time while talking to his new friend Kim. After he says it for the first time he goes back thinking about what he had just said and how he said it. He mentions how he was cautious saying it, with hesitation and uncertainty. His own voice sounds unfamiliar, stressed and artificial. One can notice he was overwhelmingly nervous and anxious as if he was forcing himself to say it. He pronounces the two words unknowingly to himself as a question; wondering if this is the right path for him. Without knowing this moment will change him forever regardless of Kim's response. This college student is setting his life path for him. One with a path of adventure with the name Nikhil,

The author Jhumpa Lahiri shows how much Gogol has developed and matured throughout the course of the novel. From the the beginning of The Namesake to the end, Gogol is shown developing intellectually. Gogol intellectually improves himself by allowing himself to be more acquainted with his name and identity which gogol prefers to be referred to as. In the third chapter of The Namesake, Gogol takes on one of his first challenges when Gogol is introduced to his first year school. Gogol is perturbed when he finds out that Ashok and Ashima were allowing the other children to call Gogol by his “good name,” Nikhil instead of Original name Gogol. Although, Gogol had never had someone refer to him by anything other than Gogol throughout his entire life, Gogol is perplexed as to why he is being referred to by two names. The Principal of the school refers to him as “Nikhil” in a conversation, Gogol chooses not to respond. As Gogol is in the office with Mrs.Lapidus Ashok says “Go on Gogol”. In doing so Ashoke bagans to worry that by doing so Mrs.lapidus would began to catch on, however,

The important themes of name and identity are very evident in Chapter 3. The chapter contains when Gogol firsts starts kindergarten. Ashima and Ashoke wanted him to go by "Gogol" at home but "Nikhil" at school. However this then leads to confusing him and he has no interest in another name. He considers that depending on where he is he may need to be two different people then leading to him having two different names. "He is afraid to be Nikhil, someone he doesn't know. Who doesn't know him." (Lahiri ). During his adolescent years Gogol connects a new identity with having a new name. His unusual name does not bother him until he turns eleven and he attends a class trip to a cemetery which is when he uncovers that his name is special. Some of the other gravestones have names he has never heard before so he makes rubbings of them because he