Gogol as the Perfect Namesake In Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel The Namesake‚ Indian parents bestow a Russian name to their first born baby boy; the name is Gogol Ganguli which is after the famous Russian writer‚ Nikolai V. Gogol. In Lahiri’s novel‚ the main character fights an identity crisis because of his highly unusual name. Gogol carries uncertainty about himself throughout the novel because of his name‚ “He hates his name . . . that is has nothing to do with who he is‚ that it is neither Indian nor
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town‚ that he will continue to dwell in her mind.” (The Namesake‚ 278-279). Towards the end of the story Lahiri portrays the imbalance feeling of Gogol. Now he feels comforted by the mystery behind choosing that name for him. At 32‚ he feels proud for his name and its meaning‚ Nikhil Gogol Ganguly accepted his name and destiny. Now he feels burden of his hating himself for hating his name. He deeply ponders over his name‚ his identity‚ his namesake and realizes that one has to take the responsibility
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Wallace English III 2nd Period Mrs. Kaplan The Namesake The Namesake‚ written by Jhumpa Lahiri‚ has been dubbed one of The New York Times Bestellers and a follow-up of Lahiri’s Pulitzer Prize debut‚ Interpreter of Maladies. Lahiri’s specific style towards Gogol’s life makes it easy for an audience to understand the troubles of being raised in an Indian household surrounded by an American society. However‚ would The Namesake still be on The New York Times Bestseller list if it
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Lahiri’s The Namesake‚ for the quote foreshadows a lot of what the novel contains and helps us understand the difference between what we’re being told and what we’re‚ seeing. Jhumpa Lahiri chooses to start with a quote from Nikolai Gogol for it connects to both The Overcoat and The Namesake for names having more meaning than a label. Jhumpa Lahiri connects with both The Overcoat and The Namesake using names with meaning that have importance in their families. With both the The Namesake and The Overcoat
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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
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Cultural traditions‚ migration‚ family and identity are issues which emerge throughout the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. How have various literary techniques been used to show that these issues play a major role in an individual experiencing a sense of belonging or not belonging. It is evident that a number of issues can greatly affect a person’s sense of belonging in particular personal experiences and cultural background. Throughout Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel The Namesake a number of these
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Gogul first didn’t want to change his name. (young) Then grew up realized the name is the name of a crazy‚ loner author ( but also a genius). His father was a fan. He read one of the author’s book during a fatal tcar crash he was in. Being the only survivor. After the train crash‚ he got married to Gogul’s mother. They moved to ny. Had Gogul and Sonia(younger sis). Gogul grew up. Believed his name is strange‚ easy to be made fun of. He told his father he’d like to change his name to Nikhel‚ his good
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The Namesake The movie The Namesake explored many issues with regards to culture and the relationships in which we create within different cultures. Throughout the movie issues with parents‚ partners‚ different cultures and death all play a key role in purveying the messages the director wanted to get across. When the Ganguli family has to move from India to New York we see how relationships change and how Ashima has to change in order to adapt to the American lifestyle. Gogol who is Ashima’s
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Gogol’s Namesake: Identity and Relationships in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake Author: Judith Caesar Allusions to Nikolai V. Gogol and his short story "The Overcoat" permeate Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel The Namesake‚ beginning with Gogol’s being the name the protagonist is called through most of the book. Yet few of the reviewers of the novel mentioned Nikolai Gogol at all in their discussions of the novel‚ except to describe the protagonist Gogol’s loathing of his name‚ or to quote without comment or
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Literary Analysis-The Namesake The important theme of naming and identity is introduced at the very beginning‚ when Ashima calls out for her husband. She does not use his name when she calls for him‚ since "it’s not the type of thing Bengali wives do" (Lahiri‚ J. p. 2). Their husbands’ names are considered too intimate to be used. The Bengali tradition of pet names and "good" names. Only close family uses the pet name in the privacy of the home‚ while the "good" name is used in formal situations
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