The Namesake Movie and Book
Julia Golubenko
Mrs. Greenfield
Close Reading and Critical Writing
November 13, 2007 The movie Namesake was a fairly good depiction of the book. As a movie, apart from the book, it was good. The characters played their role well, emotional scenes were shown, and the point of the movie was easy to see. The problems that I had with the movie, was the fact that they cut out Gogol’s whole college life and Ruth, his first girlfriend. This was taking out a huge part of his life, where Gogol actually chose his life path, as an architect, not an engineer or a doctor like he was expected to do. Earlier in the movie, the kindergarten scene was cut out. That scene, in the book, was essential part of understanding the name issue, which is the main focus of the book. There were come details added, too. At the end of the graduation party, when Gogol comes home after smoking weed with his friends, one of the family Bengali women performs an anti-black magic spell, because Gogol had red eyes. Also, they changed around some scenes’ order. In the book, Ganguli’s mailbox was mutilated and gangrene was written all over it. In the book, this scene happens when Gogol was still small and he finds the mail. In the movie, Sonia finds it and after their trip to Calcutta. Father’s in a way indifferent reaction remains the same in the book and in the movie. When Gogol goes to eleventh grade, his English professor decides to do Gogol’s The Overcoat and Gogol’s biography. Gogol learns about the author’s suicide and his odd way of living. In the book, Gogol is being internally tortured and he thinks that everyone cares and makes fun of his name. In reality, “he looks at his classmates, obediently copying down the information as Mr. Lawson continues to speak” (Lahiri 91). Nobody seems to care that Gogol has the same last name as that weird author. In the movie, on the contrary, the kids in the classroom make fun of him. One boy says, “Hey Gogol! Way to go” and laughs, while another boy
Mrs. Greenfield
Close Reading and Critical Writing
November 13, 2007 The movie Namesake was a fairly good depiction of the book. As a movie, apart from the book, it was good. The characters played their role well, emotional scenes were shown, and the point of the movie was easy to see. The problems that I had with the movie, was the fact that they cut out Gogol’s whole college life and Ruth, his first girlfriend. This was taking out a huge part of his life, where Gogol actually chose his life path, as an architect, not an engineer or a doctor like he was expected to do. Earlier in the movie, the kindergarten scene was cut out. That scene, in the book, was essential part of understanding the name issue, which is the main focus of the book. There were come details added, too. At the end of the graduation party, when Gogol comes home after smoking weed with his friends, one of the family Bengali women performs an anti-black magic spell, because Gogol had red eyes. Also, they changed around some scenes’ order. In the book, Ganguli’s mailbox was mutilated and gangrene was written all over it. In the book, this scene happens when Gogol was still small and he finds the mail. In the movie, Sonia finds it and after their trip to Calcutta. Father’s in a way indifferent reaction remains the same in the book and in the movie. When Gogol goes to eleventh grade, his English professor decides to do Gogol’s The Overcoat and Gogol’s biography. Gogol learns about the author’s suicide and his odd way of living. In the book, Gogol is being internally tortured and he thinks that everyone cares and makes fun of his name. In reality, “he looks at his classmates, obediently copying down the information as Mr. Lawson continues to speak” (Lahiri 91). Nobody seems to care that Gogol has the same last name as that weird author. In the movie, on the contrary, the kids in the classroom make fun of him. One boy says, “Hey Gogol! Way to go” and laughs, while another boy