Chapter Analysis Of 'The Namesake'

The final scene of ‘The Namesake’ is an emotionally significant scene because of the poignant references, the language and the issues addressed. This passage clarifies the novel’s status as a “Bildungsroman”. Sympathy and affection is created for Gogol, making the tone of this final passage pensive and sentimental. It delivers the climax where Gogol is finally able to find balance in issues that had been bothering him throughout the novel.

One of the key concerns dealt with in this passage is the importance of a name.This is the first time following the death of Ashoke that Lahiri zooms into the thoughts of Gogol. The passage opens with a third person limited perspective “The givers and keepers of Gogol’s name are far from him now. One dead”. The choice of a third-person limited
Lahiri uses monosyllabic words in describing that Gogol’s parents “are far from him now. One dead” to illustrate the pain that Gogol is experiencing. The name that Gogol had once despised is now a word that he longs to hear as he realises that it will soon “cease to exist”, almost as if it had been surreal from the very start and was never supposed to exist. The distress of Gogol is exhibited when he concludes that the extinction of his birth name will “provide no sense of victory. no solace. It provides no solace at all” Repetition of “no solace” conveys Gogol’s frustration and the brutal pain this though is causing him. The absence of a capitalised letter after a full stop may also demonstrate how Gogol no longer focuses on following the expectations from society but rather just let his raw emotions run out of him. An important feature to note is the lack of names in this passage apart from the rare use of Gogol. Instead, Lahiri replaces those proper nouns with “he” and “she” which not only demonstrates Gogol’s