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Commentary on Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake
Commentary on Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake
Commentary on Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake
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Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel, The Namesake, follows the journey of a Bengali-American man named Gogol Ganguli and his struggle to find his identity. Lahiri prefaced the novel with the quotation: "The reader should realize himself that it could not have happened otherwise, and that to give him any other name was quite out of the question," by author Nikolai Gogol. The quote itself foreshadows the basis of the novel as Gogol discovers his true identity through his family and himself.
Gogol was brought into the world without an intended identity. His mother, Ashima and his father, Ashoke planned for his maternal great grandmother to choose his “pet name,” as it is a tradition in their family. The letter was sent a month before Gogol’s birth and it is
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Not understanding that its Bengali culture for one to have both a “pet” and “good” name Gogol is convinced that he has only one identity- Gogol. A child cannot comprehend the distinction between a name and the characteristics of one's self. Upon arrival to his first day of school, Gogol is upset that both his peers and teachers will refer to him as Nikhil. “He is afraid to be Nikhil, someone he doesn't know. Who doesn't know him,” and despite his parents wishes, the principal introduces him to everyone as Gogol Ganguli. The name “Gogol,” satisfied him up until sixth grade when a field trip to the cemetery causes him to believe his name is “peculiar.” The trip ignites a flame and Gogol begins to resent the name he was given. By the time he reaches college he has decided to legally change it. He tells his father that “no one takes [him] seriously,” although the truth was that Gogol himself was the only one who didn't take him seriously. When faced with the question “why,” Gogol replies “I hate the name Gogol, I’ve always hated it” (Lahiri 102). Gogol couldn't accept himself internally and therefore though changing the external factors, such as his name, would aid in reinventing
Without people in the world to call him Gogol, no matter how long he himself lives, Gogol Ganguli will, once and for all, vanish from the lips of loved ones, and so, cease to exist. Yet the thought of this eventual demise provides him no sense of victory, no solace. It provides no solace at all…
As a native Hawaiian, Kristiana Kahakauwila has extensive knowledge on Hawaiian customs and culture. Though she was not raised in Hawaii, Kristiana is still connected to the culture. Her upbringing in California did not separate her from the customs of Hawaii. Kristiana has a master’s in fine arts and a degree in comparative literature. Her degrees and background with Hawaiian culture led her to write the book “This is Paradise,” which is composed of multiple short stories. Each short story unveils a new layer of Hawaiian culture that many people tend to overlook. Before the first short story begins, Kristiana sets the tone for the novel with the cover of the book.
“Looking for Alibrandi” is a novel written by Melina Marchetta. The novel is written in the first person, through Josephine Alibrandi’s perspective. Josephine Alibrandi is the main protagonist in the story, she is seventeen and is experiencing her final year at St. Martha’s. Throughout the novel, Josephine is trying to discover her true self and identity as she is stuck between her Italian and Australian culture. She believes that her Australian culture is her sole identity, but at the end, she realises that it is not only one culture but both of them that form her identity.
Through out Lawrence Hill's novel names are often linked to identity and have importance for his characters. For example, Aminata's character attaches huge importance to her name. For Aminata it is an inextricable part of her identity. It links her to her homeland and her family. When Chekura says her full African name she is overwhelmed that someone knows her name and describes how this makes her want to live. Having her true name be known is a way of having her identity affirmed and helps her feel connected to her family, home and to Chekura. In fact, Aminata's character defiantly makes reference to her full name, including the name of the town she was born in. Holding onto her name helps her remain connected to the land and people she has left behind and to her own life story and origins. Further underscoring the importance of names in one...
Identity is primarily described primarily as what makes a person who they are. While it is seen as an individual asset, one’s identity can be shaped and persuaded not only by life experiences, but by society as well. Bryan Stevenson speaks on several controversial issues and proclaims certain societal problems and the typical behaviors noticed in response to them. How one approaches the issues that are spoken about may expose their true identity. Stevenson argues that how one reacts to racial inequality within the criminal justice system may regulate their identity. In addition to that, how dealing with the nation’s history may force a growth on one’s identity, eventually bringing peace and acceptance to the nation. Lastly, how one views the
“For by now, he’s come to hate questions pertaining to his name, hates having constantly to explain. He hates having to tell people that it doesn’t mean anything “in Indian” (Lahiri 76). From this quote from the book Gogol is tired of his name and tired of people thinking it has something to do with being Indian, when they don’t know the real meaning of his
Jhumpa Lahiri in The Namesake illustrates the assimilation of Gogol as a second generation American immigrant, where Gogol faces the assimilation of becoming an American. Throughout the novel, Gogol has been struggling with his name. From kindergarten to college, Gogol has questioned the reason why he was called Nikhil when he was a child, to the reason why he was called Gogol when he was in college. Having a Russian name, Gogol often encounters questions from people around him, asking the reason of his name. Gogol was not given an Indian name from his Indian family or an American name from the fact that he was born in America, to emphasize that how hard an individual try to assimilate into a different culture, he is still bonded to his roots as the person he ethnically is.
In the book, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Everett Ruess was a man who wanted to find his purpose in life by, leaving school, developing a new identity, and expressing himself and his joun in his letters. First, Ruess attended the Otis Art School and Hollywood High. “At the end of the summer, Everett returned home only long enough to earn a high school diploma, which he received in January 1931. Less than a month later he was on the road again..." Ruess started to travel solo at the age of sixteen. He began to hitchhike and trek throughout the U.S. and its national parks. “Except for a short, unhappy stint at UCLA (he dropped out after a single semester, to his father’s lasting dismay),” Ruess dropped out of college and he spent the rest
As human beings we often pursue truth to undercover deceit. To overcome death and nonexistence, we are born. To understand the future, we look to the past. To accept ourselves we begin to recognize others. As a result of these unavoidable actions our ego is born. Self awareness. The simple plural pronoun “We”, transforms into “Me”, or “I”, the self of our person. The self becomes thinking, feeling, and willing. Able to distinguish itself from the selves of others and from the objects of its thought. It is this self identity that many 6th century Buddhist, including the main protagonist within the novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, searched to abolish in the interest of reaching full enlightenment and understanding of the world in which they life. “A man asked Gautama Buddha, "I want happiness." Buddha said, "First remove "I," that's Ego, then remove "want," that's Desire. See now you are left with only "Happiness.” (Boulby 173)
It’s pretty clear that film and literature are very different mediums and when you try to make one into the other, such as an adaptation, you’re going to have some things that are lost in translation and seen in a different light. When an original work is made into a movie, I think they’re kind of at a disadvantage because they only have a few hours to get the whole story across while also keeping the viewer intrigued by what is taking place on the screen right in front of their eyes. Movies are able to contain special effects, visuals, and music though which can impact a viewer and make a scene stay in their mind longer which is a plus side to being able to view something. Literature on the other hand, has a greater advantage. They can keep the reader entertained for a considerably long time and you’re able to get more information about people and events such as what a character is thinking or what is happening behind the scenes during a specific event. I understand that people are going to have different opinions when it comes to whether a book or film adaptation of a work is the best and it is not always going to be the same for each and every piece of work. One thing I think though, is that The Namesake in both the film and the movie, they’re both accurate and concise in the way that they relate to one another.
Gogol was very nervous to tell Maxine about his real name because through their whole relationship, Gogol was known as “Nikhil.” Gogol tells Maxine his name, and her reaction is not what Gogol had expected. This shows static character because telling Maxine Gogol’s real name could have been a problem. She may have gotten upset that she had not know. However, Maxine still accepted Gogol with his new name, presenting her as static. Another example of Maxine showing static character directly is when Maxine is visiting Gogol after Ashoke had died; “He stares at her, takes her hand and puts it back in her lap. “I miss you, Nikhil.”” (182). Maxine had not seen Gogol in a while, causing her to come up and pay her condolences. She says that she misses Gogol, showing that she loves him even though they have not seen each other in a while. Maxine’s personality affects her actions because she is a compassionate and loving person towards her parents and towards Gogol. With Maxine being loving and compassionate, it allows her to accept Gogol’s real name and to comfort Gogol when his father
Over the course of the novel, The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri, Gogol is constantly moving, and by the time he is in his late twenties, he has already lived in five different homes, while his mother, Ashima has lived in only five houses her entire life. Each time Gogol moves, he travels farther away from his childhood home on Pemberton Road, symbolizing his search for identity and his desire to further himself from his family and Bengali culture. Alternatively, Ashima’s change of homes happens in order to become closer to family, representing her kinship with Bengali culture. Ashima has always had difficulty with doing things on her own, but by the end of the story she ultimately decides to travel around both India and the States without a real home as a result of the evolution of her independence and the breaking of her boundaries; in contrast, Gogol finally realizes that he has always stayed close to home, despite his yearning for escape, and settles into his newly discovered identity - the one that he possessed all along.
Gogol is not completely cut off from his roots and identity. He tries to reject his past, but it makes him stranger to himself. He fears to be discovered. With the rejection of Gogol’s name, Lahiri rejects the immigrant identity maintained by his parents. But this outward change fails to give him inner satisfaction.
In The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri and directed by Mira Nair there are many examples of love, experiences, challenges and drama. For instance, Jhumpa Lahiri’s representations of the American Indian identity, by examining the character of Ashima, mainly focuses on the phrases of reconstruction of her relation to her conflicted identity. Also, Lahiri shows another challenge on Ashoke and Ashima when his son Gogol embraced American cultural traditions. Lastly, Lahiri portrays how Ashima overcome all of the experience and challenges that she deals with living in a different country and facing her problems on her family. Therefore, experience and issues of assimilation are the major dilemmas that Jhumpa Lahiri represents in the story.
The Secret of Identity In the book “The Namesake” Jhumpa Lahiri uses the psychoanalytical lens to show the reader that a western culture society, can challenge an Asian individual’s cultural identity in a negative manner. This is shown through Ashima, and Gogol, the conflicts between Gogol and society, and the technique of foreshadowing and flashback. Firstly, Gogol and Ashima start to confront society as Ashima starts to avoid growing accustomed to the new world, she has “the oldest address book.