The Namesake

The Namesake

            In the novel, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, the character Gogol goes through many identity changes and as he makes discoveries about himself the author uses his name as a focal point. From birth Gogol’s name was never just that, it defined his relationship with his family, Indian heritage, and American identity. The first instance is at birth where he first receives his name. Ashima, his mother, must name him in order to leave the hospital and without hearing the selected from her grandmother (25). This is Gogol’s first step away from his Indian heritage and disconnection from his families past and an introduction his American identity. Another big turning point in Gogol’s life is on his 14^th birthday, and he really begins to resent his name. After Gogol’s father tells Gogol the origin of his name, from an author, he feels no connection and thinks, “…no one he knows in the world, in Russia or India or America or anywhere share his name. Not even the source of his namesake” (78).  That moment alone is a turning point, where Gogol begins to truly feel disconnected from his family and his heritage. Gogol begins to his morbid hatred for his name after The Overcoat is assigned to him in class, and to add to his embarrassment the teacher tells a brief description of the author and his insanity (91).  Gogol eventually begins to go by Nikhil and its through his new name Nikhil that is Americanized identity develops. He becomes less connected to his parents by speaking and visiting to them less often.  When his father reveals the truth behind his name Gogol faces a feeling of shame and confusion “his father is a stranger, a man who has kept a secret, has survived a tragedy, a man he does not fully know” (123). Although he doesn’t go back to Gogol, he no longer squints of embarrassment when his mother or father accidentally calls him that instead of Nikhil. Gogol continues to live a life of disconnection from his culture until the untimely death of his father. It is in his death that he finally discoveries his identity and his true connection to his family and his name.  As the book comes to an end Gogol looks back on his life and all the unfortunate accidents that made up his life and made him the man he is. He finds the book his father left and finds himself thinking, “ [t]he name his has detested, here hidden and preserved—that was the first thing his father had given him” (289).   The name that made him want to be disconnected from his family is now the biggest connection they share, and when his family is gone so will the name Gogol. 

Assimilation

Each character in Gogol's family including Gogol struggle with how much to assimilate into American culture and how much of their Indian culture should they hold on to. You can see the  Gstruggle between the first generation immigrant versus the second. You see in the photo that Gogol fully assimilated into American lifestyle, and his sister simply Americanized the look of an Indian woman. Their mother, Ashima, appears to have not assimilated at all, which is common with first generation immigrants.  His parents continue to have only Indian friends and carry on with Indian traditions. 

-The video above is the trailer to the film adaptation of the novel The Namesake

Indian Immigrant Assimilation
I found this article and it discusses how Indian immigrants are the slowest to assimilate to culture and civic changes when coming to America.