The Namesake Essay

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In the novel, The Namesake written by Jhumpa Lahiri deals with a Bengali couple and their children who resides in America. The Bengali family had a different intake and view of America. The novel presents variety of transitions that is common in our society today. One of the major themes in the novel is the identity confusion Gogol has between his family’s Indian heritage and a modern American lifestyle and is mostly centered around Gogol. ADD MORE & INTRODUCE THE BODY PARAGRAPHS.

Gogol’s name is one of the things that made him feel alienated. When Gogol started his schooling, his parents gave him a new name ‘Nikhil’ so he does not feel isolated. At first, Gogol did not respond to ‘Nikhil’. It was his first attempt to refuse a dual identity which left him with the name, Gogol. After a while, he realizes how unusual his name is. Gogol did not understand the …show more content…

His name brings further complications to his identity. For example, "He is afraid to be Nikhil, someone he doesn't know. Who doesn't know him" (Lahiri 57), which is important for several reasons. Gogol felt like he was an outsider, due to his culture. As well as, when Gogol starts school his father, Ashoke, tries to convince him to go by the name Nikhil, which Gogol refuses. Gogol changed his name to ‘Nikhil’ when he started his freshman year at Yale, also his name was a big change to him. For example, “It is as Nikhil that he loses his virginity at a party at Ezra Stile, with a girl wearing a plaid woolen skirt and combat boots and mustard tights"(105), this is important for several reasons we begin to see and understand how Gogol is having identity problems throughout his life. At the university, nobody knew his earlier name so he felt more confident and assured. His transformation started there

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