The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

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The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri Living in America, the Ganguli’s have the difficult choice of choosing between two dramatically different cultures. As a second generation Indian American, Gogol Ganguli is expected to preserve the ideals of his traditionally Indian parents while still successfully assimilating into mainstream American culture. In “The Namesake,” Jhumpa Lahiri reveals the stark contrasts between the perceptions of Ashima, Ashoke and Gogol in relation to their Indian and American views of relationships.

During his youth, Gogol Ganguli undoubtedly embraces American culture enthusiastically while distancing himself from his Bengali origins, particularly in the realm of relationships. He, despite his parent’s wishes, becomes much like an average American teenager. Although “[he] does not date anyone in high school… [and] does not attend dances or parties” (93), he still has crushes on girls and wishes he were able to date them. Gogol’s parents are utterly naïve about what he is truly like during his teenage years. They did not have any relationships with the opposite sex in their youth so they do not find it strange that Gogol does not either. Moreover, it seems absolutely absurd to them that he would even consider girls and his age. Dating would take away from time he could devote to his studies and is therefore not even an option. ...

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...ey are wed and even then, they should not do so in public. The sight of Maxine running her hand through Gogol’s hair makes them feel embarrassed enough to advert their eyes. It does not adhere with Ashoke and Ashima’s perception of what is acceptable courtship behavior in a relationship.

Indian and American views on dating, relationships, and love wary widely. As a child of two cultures, Gogol dealt with the strict ideals of his Bengali parents as well as the passionate opinion of his American counterparts.

Works Cited

Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. New York:

First Mariner Books, 2003.

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