Project 3 WRTC

Rachel Clark
Professor OConner
WRTC
31 Mar 2016
The Namesake analysis
Immigration is a hot topic right now, so at this point of view the Namesake takes on a
different light. When second generation children find their roots again they ultimately end up
happier. These kids find their identity within their old culture. Gogols story starts out knowing
his identity, but as he grows apart from his roots and gets assimilated into the American culture it
become prevalent that his identity crisis starts to form.
As the second generation Gogol doesnt really understand why his parents came to the
United States. The US is the only place he really knows although his parents still rely heavily in
the Indian culture there isnt really a strong connotation with the actual country. Gogol also
doesnt know about why his family came into this country and doesnt seem to care at first. The
real story behind why his parents came to the US drastically helps him find himself. "Do yourself
a favor. Before it's too late, without thinking too much about it first, pack a pillow and a blanket
and see as much of the world as you can. You will not regret it. One day it will be too late." (16)
Ashoke meets Ghosh, a friendly Bengali businessman, on the train in 1961. They have a long
conversation and Ghosh tells him this to encourage him to travel before settling down. Later the
train crashes and Ghosh is killed, but Ashoke survives. He is moved by Ghosh's advice and
decides to apply for a fellowship in the United States. Although his community of people doesnt
know what he or his family has had to grow up in Gogol recognizes the importance of keeping
up with his heritage.
His mother was a cultural backbone for the entire family. She kept up with teaching her
kids the ins and outs of Indian behavior. She truly represents the struggle that almost all
immigrants face in a lifetime. "I'm saying I don't want to raise Gogol alone in this country. It's
not right. I want to go back." (33) Ashima tells this to Ashoke soon after Gogol's birth. Her
husband is working constantly at the university and she feels alienated raising a son in a foreign
land. She and Ashoke miss their families back in Calcutta and visit often, but the distance is still
devastating. His mother is one of the main reasons why he was conflicted at first but she is also a
reason why he later found himself within that same culture. He left and it caused a sort of a turn
over and the strongly American part of him started to dwindle. This caused problems because his
girlfriend Maxine was about as American as it got and she was not open to adapting and
tolerating the differences between his culture and hers.
Maxine and Gogol came from different worlds and the more conservative traditional side
of Gogols family did not like Maxine. They were okay with her general presence but she was
constantly doing little things wrong and her parents, especially her mother, did not approve. I
dont want to get away. (182) This is Gogol's response to Maxine's question, shortly after his
father's death, regarding whether or not he still wants to go to New Hampshire with her family to
celebrate New Years Eve. She feels out of place at his father's funeral celebration; for once, she
is alienated, not Gogol. She says it would do him good to "get away from all this," and he
responds that he doesn't want to do so; now, he feels connected to his family in a way that he
hadn't before. The guilt that he feels after the fact really drives him back towards the family. He
become nostalgic and craves the old familiarity more and more. When Maxine leaves his life he
finds Moushumi. They are hot lovers, but even she, an Indian raised person cannot fill this void
that Gogol cant seem to get over. Gogol is in constant need of affection. When they go to Paris
he wishes that he didnt seem so out of place. When the affair between Mushumi and Dimitri
occurs he as basically no idea. Gogol begins to feel more and more nostalgic as his marriage
with Moushumi progresses. In Paris, he wishes he could stay in bed with Moushumi for hours as
they used to do, rather than having to sightsee by himself while she prepares for her presentation.
During the dinner party at the home of Astrid and Donald, Gogol becomes nostalgic for when he
and Moushumi were first dating, and had spent an entire afternoon designing their ideal house.
At a dinner party Moushumi reveals to the guests nonchalantly that Nikhil was not always named
Nikhil. This offends him because it feels like a betrayal of an intimate detail only she knew to
people he doesn't like. This is in a way a last straw for both of them because they both want
acceptance and what they had before but it doesnt seem to be happening.
Moushumi begins having an affair with Dimitri, is told from Moushumi's point of view.
For that reason, the narrator refers to Gogol as "Nikhil;" that is how Moushumi knows her
husband. This narration decision makes Moushumi's decision to have an affair with Dimitri more
sympathetic than it would be to the reader had it been discovered from Gogol's point of view. It
was interesting that it was told by the cheaters point of view.
Overall the book shows that moving back to your roots after a primary experiencer an
identity has established them can be made whole. Gogol was only truly happy when he came
around to the fact that all of these harsh experiences had prepared him for what was to come.
Works Cited
Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. Boston: Houghton, 2003. Print.

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