Friedman And Gogol Similarities

Opposing American culture later in life after a split with Maxine, Gogol turns to a longtime family acquaintance, Moushumi Mazoomdar, who later becomes his wife after a quick marriage. Moushumi’s parents are also from Bengal creating a familiar feeling as both Gogol and Moushumi feel torn between their two backgrounds. Gogol is intrigued with Moushumi after their first arranged date together believing that, “her very familiarity that makes him curious about her” and becoming “lost in his own thoughts, thinking of Moushumi” (Lahiri 199). Moushumi is staying in Gogol’s mind even though he was prepared to dislike her just as he did as a young child. However, Gogol notes that it is the very fact that he did not truly know her as a young child that
Gogol recognizes these struggles within himself and finds comfort in it most likely believing that they can both support each other, ultimately allowing both to find their identities. Furthermore, Friedman agrees by noting that Moushumi has the same sense of “privilege and entitlement” of Gogol (Friedman). As the similarities compound, it is clear to see that Gogol finds security in the stability provided by those parallels. After a tough split with Maxine, Gogol feels as if the outside world is cold and turns to his Bengali past for comfort. The original meeting between Moushumi and Gogol was set up by both of their parents meaning that their parents arranged the date, a tradition of Bengali culture. Coincidentally, this leads to marriage for the couple but, unfortunately, it also leads to unhappiness and finally divorce as the security and familiarity of marriage with another Bengali was too much for
However, Gogol is not depressed or upset with this situation as the loneliness gives him time to reflect on his past helping him determine who he really is in life. He looks back on both his life and his father’s life as well tracing the events leading up to that very moment in his life. Tragically, he believes that everything in the Ganguli family’s past feels “like a string of accidents” that were “unforeseen” and “unintended” (Lahiri 286). Gogol thinks about his father’s train accident that propelled him to travel the word thus creating a new life and a new family in America. He also thinks of the lost letter from his great-grandmother containing his traditional name, which lead to the name of Gogol. All of these so-called accidents shaped and molded Gogol into the person he is at the end of the novel. Without these events, Gogol would not have been born or been named after a man who struggled to fit in his society just like Gogol. Gogol closes with the realization, seeing that the “things that should never have happened” or thing that felt “out of place and wrong” were “what endured, in the end” (Lahiri 287). The things that seemed to plague Gogol during the early stages of his life soon became the very moments that defined his life. Importantly, he takes ownership over these events and comes to the realization that these accidents are essential to his identity causing him to become proud. Those