Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake" talks about a Bengali family settled in America, struggling with identity, love and loss. It's the story of Ashoke and Ashima and their son, who they give two names, following their Bengali tradition. His good name or "bhalo Naam" – Nikhil and his "dak Naam"- Gogol. By the end of the book, Gogol faces a dilemma accepting two names and evolving into multiple identities.
When Gogol is a kid, he does not respond to his good name Nikhil and insists on being referred to as Gogol. However, when he grows up, he starts hating his name to such an extent that he goes through a name changing process- to get his good name back. Once he is Nikhil, he starts dating Maxine and adopts her American Culture, so much that he gets distant from his family. When his father dies after a heart attack, it hits him, and he gets pulled back to his Bengali culture and traditions. This time, he marries a Bengali woman Moushumi but has his heartbroken after having an affair with another man. There is a constant struggle in his life, a life that is never constant on his identity. In the end, when he is left behind, he keeps wondering about where his life would lead him now.
There are three critical aspects to look at in this book.
The first being to explore their Bengali American identity. The members of the Ganguly family have to try and learn to live in America with their roots of identity being situated in Bengal. Gogol tries to escape his culture and live like an American. He leaves his family and replaces them with Maxine's white family. He gets pushed far away from his Bengali heritage, burying his memories. Only his father's death was able to pull him back to his roots. He realizes that his identity is both American and Bengali. While Gogol fears becoming "too Bengali", Ashima faces the opposite. She fears becoming "too American". Looking at her husband's death, she remembers all the memories she shared with him in America and begins to think that even she has a joint identity.
The second important aspect of The Namesake lies within the title- the relationship between the name and the identities. The name Gogol is neither American nor Bengali, and that complicates Gogol's childhood identity. When he changes his name, he attempts to flee his past. With a new name, he feels like a new person. However, when he gets to know why he received this name and the rich history of his name, a heritage received from his father, he decides to be at peace with his own past. Not just that, he even begins reading about the original Gogol, who played an essential role in his father's life.
The third aspect is love and obligation. When we look at Ashoke and Ashima's relationship, they do not share love; it's just an obligation. It's when Ashoke dies, Ashima realizes that she had loved her husband deeply. On the other hand, Gogol and Maxine have a relationship of only love. The relationship does not follow the Bengali patterns, and he enjoys being in it. However, he never lets Maxine know his true self due to no obligation, and the relationship lacks depth. Finally, Moushumi and Gogol share a relationship that has both love and commitment. However, her relationship reminds her of her parent's marriage, and she falls out of love.
This novel is compelling. It does not leave us with answers, yet it gives us different approaches in life and a look at understanding them.
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