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The namesake identity essay
The namesake theme of identity
The namesake identity essay
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In the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri the main character, Gogol, changes his name legally to Nikhil which symbolizes his development from youth to maturity and changes the chrysalis of the main character. Gogol, the name, represents the little boy who was confused about what he was and who he was supposed to be. When Gogol changes his name to Nikhil, he wants to become a man who is confident with who he was and took what he wanted. Gogol wanted to reinvent himself so that he no longer resembled the Indian boy with a Russian name but a conventional American teenager off at college. The symbolic change in name directs the character into a mature and sophisticated direction that focuses on Gogol’s progression into adulthood. Everything was changing in Gogol’s life in light of the fact he was moving to college where no one knew him or had any prior expectations. Gogol was attempting to reinvent himself with just the change of a name, which worked for awhile, and it would have continued to work if it would not have been for his parents’. Whenever he went home, his parents’ would refer to him as Gogol and it would pull him back into an inferior, …show more content…
Nikhil represents everything that Gogol was too afraid to voice. Gogol to afraid to anger his father or disappointment his mother, dealt with it silently, brooding, until he became Nikhil and decided to be his own person. The single moment when Gogol changed his name to Nikhil, he, in my opinion, changed from a weak young boy into an independent young man. Nikhil proves his strength when his father dies: “He has a list with him of the people he has to call before the business day is over: Call rental office. Call university. Cancel utilities” (Lahiri 176). When Nikhil’s father dies, he becomes the head of the household and has to be strong for his mother and handle all of the responsibilities that his father normally would have
[… The] only person who didn’t take Gogol seriously… who tormented him, the only person chronically aware of and afflicted by the embarrassment of his name, the only person who constantly questioned it and wished it were otherwise, was Gogol. (99-100)
Throughout the novel Gogol begins to feel more compelled to his Bengali life. Towards the end of the book Gogol becomes more acquainted to his Bengali life and his family, slowly slipping away from the American identity that was once present to him. Truly inside he has a background of Bengali culture there for him when he needs it. As for Gogol’s American identity as Nikhil, something seen as fake to him, was only an experience. It was an experience Gogol, a Bengali child, had grown up to live.
The divine name certainly falls within the dictionary, lexical and semantic range of Lord/Kurios, and that is why many other versions/translations have seen fit to also include the name in their New Testaments.
There he makes this identity of himself to try to totally forget his parents’ cultural identity. He changes his name to Nikhil and later ends up moving to New York with a girl by the name of Maxine. “He is overly aware that they are not used to passing things around the table, or to chewing food with their mouths completely closed. They avert their eyes when Maxine accidentally leans over to run her hand through her hair” (Lahiri 277). This quote is describing Maxine and Gogol having a meal with his parents. This whole scene is very awkward for both because Gogol’s parents aren’t used to doing things the American way. When the two are leaving his parents’ house Gogol’s father says to him “Drive safely, Gogol” (Lahiri 279). This confuses Maxine because she is not familiar with his real name. He doesn’t want to be reminded of who he was before. By chapter 8 Maxine and Gogol are no longer together due to
...o assimilate into the society by entering school with a more acceptable name, but Gogol refuses. The acceptance of the society has pressured him to change his name in college, and to hide Gogol from the society. Till the day Gogol understands the reason why his father chose to name him Gogol instead of an Indian or American name, Gogol experienced a lot of changes, as a second generation American immigrant. Gogol has been assimilated to different culture than he ethnically is. At the end, through family, Gogol has come back to his roots. Gogol was not given an Indian name from his Indian family or an American name as he was born in America, to emphasize an individual try to assimilate into a different culture, but in the end, he is still bonded to his roots as the person he ethnically is.
Approximately, 17,000 Americans each year feel that the name they were given does not match their identity. The name a person is given is who they are, it is a way for the world to acknowledge them. At the start of World War II, the American government took a series of drastic measures aiming at Japanese Americans in the U.S., all Japanese Americans, no matter who they were, adults, women, or children, had been suspected spies. More than 120,000 Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps. This essay aims to study the comparison of the named and nameless characters in When the Emperor was Divine, through the analysis of their loss of identity. This analysis will also vividly show the suffering of the Japanese Americans during this time.
One justifiable meaning of a name is the fact that it changes a person's self esteem.For example, in "Excerpt from Beans Trees" by Barabara Kingsolver, the main character shows emotion on how she wanted to change ,and in the
Symbolism is a part of human nature; it has been a form of communication long before the written language. Ideas are conveyed through symbolism. It is frequently used in pop culture today. Many songs and music videos have symbolism in them. The music video for “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus is symbolic for a destructive relationship. Her being stripped to nothing but her skin represents her vulnerability and how love destroyed her; she emotionally becomes ‘stripped and naked’. The wrecking ball represents how she feels. Miley Cyrus becomes the building and the wrecking ball crumbles her to pieces, leaving her in the middle of it all. Another song with symbolism is “Love Club” by Lorde. When Lorde says “love club,” she is using it as a symbol for equality. In this club there are no fights for being someone’s best friend, girls don’t fight over the littlest things, popularity doesn’t matter, you don’t have to worry about fitting in, and the thoughts of suicide are gone; everyone is equal. “Firework” by Katy Perry displays many cases of symbolism. Symbolism is used when Katy Perry says,...
Their selection of new names are hiding their past, but at the same time, representative of their future. Similarly, my great aunt’s name had an impact upon her life, as well as others. My great aunt, Ilene, had decided to change her name to Elizabeth, after graduating from William and Mary College as a English History major. My great aunt’s many family members thought this was an odd and irrational decision to suddenly change her name. Since she is an English History major and a great admirer of Queen Elizabeth I, my great aunt desired a unique name that reflects her love for the subject of her future. After careful thought, my family had come to realize how this choice is important to her new identity. My name also has a meaningful impact upon my life. My middle name, Christine, is connected to my grandmother’s first name. My mother chose the name Christine to honor my Grandmother, whom she strives to model each day, as do I. I am very blessed to have inherited her name and hope someday to obtain my grandmother’s courage, hospitality, wisdom, and kindness. In conclusion, a name defines who a person is and helps create the identity of a human being, which can influence how he or she is perceived by others. A name can never be taken away from oneself or others. If human beings did not have their own names, they are no longer individually unique.
A name symbolizes what that person means and stands for. Renaming is an act of changing who you want the world to see you as. Naming and renaming is an important concept throughout Toni Morrison’s Beloved. A name is an identity that allows one to identify as a human being. A name is full of history, culture, and individuality. In Beloved, a name is both a source of freedom and a source of degrading history. Naming transforms and alters one’s future and history.
Suzanne Collins, the author of the Hunger Games trilogy, made sure that every detail of her work was significant. Her work is well thought out, that even the characters’ names are not just labels of identity, but serve a bigger contribution to the story. The tale is of a futuristic place of the name Panem, which is divided into twelve districts and a Capitol. The Capitol controls every aspect of life in the districts, as it hosts annual hunger games. Tributes are taken from each district and battle to the end until one is left standing. This game is broadcasted throughout Panem, is serves as it purpose of entertainment and punishment for the district rebellion. The citizens of the Capitol hold names of historical references, which attribute to their powerful stance in Panem. The citizens of the districts hold names of nature orientations. This would relate to their living conditions opposite to futuristic Capitol, the districts are at poverty state where citizens are truly one with nature as they hunt for their food. Collins not only provided us a developing plot, but also added extra details that created a whole new look at the story. The well thought out names of the characters give each one of them a more complex feature within in plot.
Symbols are used to represent something else. They can range from a red octagon representing a stop sign to a fish representing Jesus. They give depth and entice imagination and expressive thinking. They are often overlooked but can give new meaning to the work when discovered. Symbols and symbolism can be found all around in language, in art, and in literature [PAR]. Language, in and of itself, is a bunch of symbols combined in a way to represent ideas and physical objects. In art, an artist can use symbolism to portray an underlying message behind his or her painting. Symbolism, within irony, plot, characters, etc., is used in literature [SAS]. In the novella, Billy Budd, Herman Melville effectively uses symbolism throughout the story. Billy Budd best shows symbolism through the name of the novella, Billy Budd as Jesus, and Billy's speech impediment.
Deception, deceit, and a false appearance all describe a lying technique known as a facade. Presenting the facade to Winston and Julia of a member of the Brotherhood, O’Brien successfully convinces them of his hatred towards the Party. During their meeting with O’Brien, Winston describes O’Brien as his “whole life was playing a part, and that he felt it to be dangerous to drop his assumed personality even for a moment” (Orwell 170). Winston refers to O’Brien’s obvious discomfort and strange behavior, believing that he is placing a facade of a Party member while he did the opposite. The entire quote properly describes a facade using the key phrases of “playing a part” and “assumed personality.” O’Brien directly lies to Winston and Julia through
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.