this reading‚ Anzaldua goes into the fact that sometimes you can feel as if you belong to either side of yourself fully. “We call ourselves Mexican-American to signify we are neither Mexican nor American.” In this section of the chosen time span‚ Gogol leads everyone through the crowd with such ease that it is as if he has always done this and has always been in India. However‚ he still gets stressed as if he doesn’t know how to deal with it‚ because he in fact does not‚ because he grew up in the
Premium
The title The Namesake reflects the struggle of Gogol Ganguli‚ son of Ashoke and Ashima‚ Indian immigrants to the U.S.A. to get identity in the culture where he is born and brought up with his unusual name. Names do have some meaning in India. A lot of practice is done when a child is named in India. An Indian child generally carries two names‚ a pet name and an official one. Pet names are for the family and neighbours and acquaintances. They carry or may not carry meaning. But official names are
Premium
Gogol’s drastic journey to adulthood filled with unexpected and emotional experiences makes him eventually realize the importance of family in his life. In Gogol’s early twenties all he thought about was to get away from his family. The reason why Gogol thought that is because his family was totally different than other American families and in some cases he was ashamed to accept his
Premium Father Mother Jhumpa Lahiri
with various religious and ideological differences. The novel comprises of various characters‚ but the book revolves around Gogol/ Nikhil‚ the protagonist of the story. Gogol is an American Indian‚ who lives with his family in Boston. He moves on to several other places as he grows up. Gogol is a perfect example of reinvention as he tries to officially change his name from Gogol to Nikhil before leaving for college. The protagonist suffers from a major identity crisis because he tries to juggle between
Premium Family Mother Love
States with emphasis on Gogol Ganguli. Friedman distinguishes “the Namesake” from most other novels of its kind. As opposed to stories about immigrants coming to the United States in search of financial freedom‚ Lahiri flips the switch and conveys a completely different aspect of migrating. Instead Lahiri tries to illustrate a struggle separate from seeking wealth‚ which is the struggle to discover one’s true identity. Difficulties arise in terms of the main character named Gogol because he has split
Premium
same country‚ they have not faced the same struggles‚ or even began to realize how hard and much different America is than most other nations. Their children have access to many things at their age then the parents did. For example‚ in America‚ if Gogol wants to date‚ then he can date. Back home in India‚ dating is unacceptable and it is not as easy to maintain a girlfriend in India then it is here‚ in America. In this analysis of culture and identity‚ The Namesake will be depicted as an intellectual
Premium The Namesake Cultural identity Identity
for their daughter and by marrying him she will have access to whole new world. Ashoke’s family is an upper middle class family. We can assume this by their wealth of knowledge as well as that their son is training in New York City for his PhD. Gogol
Premium Marriage Family Sociology
characters to develop and change throughout the entire novel. There are many different characteristics in order to make up a bildungsroman novel. However‚ in The Namesake‚ the character that developed and changed throughout their life into adulthood was Gogol. Gogol’s coming of age was made evident by the bildungsroman’s genre conventions of social isolation and a conflict of generations. In Buckley’s novel Season of Youth‚ he talks about the characteristics and qualities that make up a bildungsroman novel
Premium Family Mother Marriage
both diction and the theme of isolation to show how Ashima and Ashoke constantly oppose Gogol and his beliefs because of the different cultures in which they grew up. After moving to the United States‚ Ashima and Ashoke possess an extreme sense of seclusion because they must raise a son in a foreign country that they are not familiar with. While Ashima lies in the hospital bed waiting to give birth to Gogol‚ she immediately feels isolated. Without Ashoke by her side she is “now alone‚ cut off by
Premium Family Woman The Yellow Wallpaper
decision to call his newborn‚ Gogol‚ after a Russian author. Later his American name becomes Nicky. The happy parents later give birth to Sonia‚ who later grows up to be an extremely independent girl. Sonia was born and raised in America‚ so she only knows the American ways. She gets frustrated when her family from India is forcing marriage upon her at such a young age. She moves down to California to lead an independent life. The family took a trip to India‚ which inspired Gogol to want to become an architect
Premium Marriage The Namesake Family