The Namesake Summary Essay Example
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
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eNotes: Table of Contents
1. The Namesake: Introduction 2. The Namesake: Jhumpa Lahiri Biography 3. The Namesake: Summary 4. The Namesake: List of Characters 5. The Namesake: Setting 6. The Namesake: Summary and Analysis ♦ Chapters 1-2 Summary and Analysis: 1968 ♦ Chapter 3 Summary and Analysis: 1971 ♦ Chapters 4-5 Summary and Analysis: 1982 ♦ Chapters 6-9 Summary and Analysis: 1994 ♦ Chapters 10-11 Summary and Analysis: 1999 ♦ Chapter 12 Summary and Analysis: 2000 7. The Namesake: Literary Qualities 8. The Namesake: Themes 9. The Namesake: Historical Context 10. The Namesake: Critical Overview 11. The Namesake: Character Analysis 12. The Namesake: Media Adaptations 13. The Namesake: Bibliography
The Namesake: Introduction
The Ganguli family in Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake has a problem. The mother and father are traditional Bengalese from Calcutta, and they are not particularly interested in assimilating into the United States, their adopted home. Gogol, their son, however, was born in the United States and is somewhat embarrassed by his parents Bengalese practices. Gogol is also uncomfortable with his name. It is neither a Bengalese nor an American name. No one he knows has a name like his. In school, kids make fun of it. But the conflict goes deeper than that.
The Namesake
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Gogol's father tries to explain why he gave that name to his first-born child, but Gogol could not care less. Gogol, in his attempts to get out from under the Bengali culture, even tries to
Copyright Notice ©2010 eNotes.com Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher. For complete copyright information on these eNotes please visit: http://www.enotes.com/namesake/copyright
eNotes: Table of Contents
1. The Namesake: Introduction 2. The Namesake: Jhumpa Lahiri Biography 3. The Namesake: Summary 4. The Namesake: List of Characters 5. The Namesake: Setting 6. The Namesake: Summary and Analysis ♦ Chapters 1-2 Summary and Analysis: 1968 ♦ Chapter 3 Summary and Analysis: 1971 ♦ Chapters 4-5 Summary and Analysis: 1982 ♦ Chapters 6-9 Summary and Analysis: 1994 ♦ Chapters 10-11 Summary and Analysis: 1999 ♦ Chapter 12 Summary and Analysis: 2000 7. The Namesake: Literary Qualities 8. The Namesake: Themes 9. The Namesake: Historical Context 10. The Namesake: Critical Overview 11. The Namesake: Character Analysis 12. The Namesake: Media Adaptations 13. The Namesake: Bibliography
The Namesake: Introduction
The Ganguli family in Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake has a problem. The mother and father are traditional Bengalese from Calcutta, and they are not particularly interested in assimilating into the United States, their adopted home. Gogol, their son, however, was born in the United States and is somewhat embarrassed by his parents Bengalese practices. Gogol is also uncomfortable with his name. It is neither a Bengalese nor an American name. No one he knows has a name like his. In school, kids make fun of it. But the conflict goes deeper than that.
The Namesake
1
Gogol's father tries to explain why he gave that name to his first-born child, but Gogol could not care less. Gogol, in his attempts to get out from under the Bengali culture, even tries to