Multicultural Writing

As you read, please identify - both by page # and by key phrase/s - QUOTES that
seem valuable to our discussion of The Namesake. Then respond briefly about
each:

1. How does Lahiri first capture your interest in chapter 1?

⇒ Characters of Indian heritage
⇒ Seamlessness when switching between past and present as a
mechanism to deepen our understanding of the character
⇒ Exposition of the Indian culture (naming system, arranged
marriages, etc.)
⇒ Beauty of the language & attention to every detail
⇒ Varied sentence structure; not too boring
⇒ Description of tragic events (train wreck) in a nonchalant yet
melancholic manner
⇒ Diving into something unusual and strange within first few
sentences
⇒ How quickly the story moves along, and yet the story is not rushed
(many commas and therefore, pauses)

2. All three Gangulis - Ashima, Gogol, and to a lesser extent Ashoke - serve as the
narrative focus at different points in the novel. What draws you to each or to
one more than the others?
Gogol is the character that is most like me and the character that I am most drawn to.
Gogol is born to parents of Indian descent similar to me. He grows up in America and
has adapted to American way, his parents still stuck in their native mindset. He has a
name that is not very common in the United States, like mine, and struggles with it at
school and in society. He is resistant to change and admits that he himself will never
be able to turn his back on where his is from to start a new life elsewhere. Gogol
manages to fall in love, but out of it just as quickly, like a nomad, unable to stay in
one place for too long. He is aloof from the world and partially the reason why
Maxine and maybe even Moushumi are unable to live with him.

Ashima is also much like me. She realizes that a change needs to be made, makes it,
and after, is unhappy, but has to learn to cope with it somehow. She sticks to her
roots, and although she naturally assimilates to the American culture, she never loses
sight of who she is and where she is from. She wears saris and cooks Indian food and
always attempts to stay true to Bengali tradition, as shown in naming her son and
what she calls her husband. She has had to learn how to live alone and learns to find
comfort in it.

Strangely enough, I also find a similarity between Ashoke and myself. Ashoke is a
caring father and husband. He strives to make the life of his wife and children better
and takes blame for his actions such as bringing Ashima to the United States. He is
sensitive and protective and is careful not to reveal his horrible incident and the
 history of Gogol’s name to him at the wrong moment. From what we are told, Ashoke
probably knows that he has a heart condition and doesn’t know for how long he will
be around. Therefore, he teaches Ashima how to live alone so that his death won’t be
a complete shock. This is yet another example of his altruistic personality.

3. What is Ashima's or Gogol's view of her/himself early in the book? Chart

if/how/why that opinion does or does not change as the story progresses.
Early in the book, Gogol is insecure, lost, confused. He lacks self-confidence, too
embarrassed by his name to even talk to girls. He feels that changing his name,
righting his parents’ wrong will give him a much-needed confidence boost, but
instead, it only digs him deeper into his confusion. Once accustomed to being called
Gogol, he must now become familiar with Nikhil. He finds this change hard
especially when he finally learns the history behind his name. He sees himself as an
American (ABCD) and is habitually American more so than Bengali. Throughout the
book, he remains distant from his parents ignoring their traditions such as speaking
Bengali and wearing rubber slippers in the house. He goes as far as saying he feels
“free” when he has no contact with his parents. The turning point in Gogol’s
character is his father’s death. He grows closer to his family, which he had drifted
apart from, and becomes more or less, uninterested in love. By the end of the book, he
slowly begins to find himself, surrounded by family and the familiar Bengali parties
that Ashima throws, he starts reading the book “from the man who gave [him] [his]
name” (288).

4. Issues of identity in conflict, whether purely about personal identity and/or

including issues of cultural heritage - individual, familial, cultural, cross-
cultural, social class - resonate throughout Lahiri's work. In gathering key
quotes on these topics, choose:
a. Quotes that had some personal significance or impact as you read and
explain that connection briefly. These may or may not be experiences to
which you can relate:
i. as a child or teenager
ii. as a female or male; daughter or son; as a sibling
iii. as a student
iv. by ethnicity (however you self-identify)
v. as a newcomer (in any context; not just as an immigrant)
b. Descriptions comparisons/contrasts in customs and traditions including
i. naming and other specifics of language and expressions
ii. celebrations and rites of passage - birth, marriage, death, etc.
iii. foods

5. Jhumpa Lahiri has said of The Namesake, "America is a real presence in the
book; the characters must struggle and come to terms with what it means to live
here, to be brought up here, to belong and not belong here." And filmmaker Mira
Nair was struck by and mined the text for ways in which Lahiri brought Kolkata
(Calcutta) to life as well. Collect and reflect on a quote or quotes to illustrate
either of these points.
Remember, neither just listing page #s nor underlining is efficiently useful when
you prepare to write an essay a month, or even a few days later! Be sure to
include page #s, to literally copy out the most important few words of each quote
as timesaving, long-term reminders, AND to jot down your own
thoughts/reaction to each of the quotes you collect!

The Namesake attempts to show the contrast between the American and Indian
culture. Lahiri compares the two to demonstrate how difficult it is to assimilate to a
new culture, leaving your own behind. The book follows the Ganguli family and their
transition from Bengali traditions to American ways [pg. 64-65]. Torn between two
cultures and two worlds, the Ganguli's live in Suburban Massachusetts. The caste
system in India impacts the lives of Ashoke and Ashima, whose marriage is arranged,
but in suburban Massachusetts such distinctions are undermined through the common
ties of class and ethnicity. Of all the characters, it seems that Ashima Ganguli has the
hardest time adapting to the American lifestyle. At the beginning of the book, she
leads a mindless, aimless, boring life, unemployed (as most Indian women are) and
restless. She is thousands of miles away from her family, which she misses dearly and
which she knows the comfort of. She often tries to seek out and befriend those who
are in the same position as her: Bengalis who have immigrated to America.
Although Gogol was born into the American life and barely follows Bengali
tradition, even he has a hard time in America. Naming in Indian culture involves
several names that have distinct significance. Bengalis often provide two names to
their children, one is a pet name and one is a good name. As Lahiri [25-6] writes,
"Bengali nomenclature grants, to every single person, two names. In Bengali, the
word for pet name is daknam, meaning, literally, the name by which one is called by
friends, family, and other intimates, at home and in other private, unguarded
moments”.
In the world, yet alone America, Gogol is a very uncommon name, something that
can be made fun of. Throughout the book, Gogol has a hard time understanding why
the name was chosen for him. Although nobody says anything negative about the
name, he doesn’t like it. The name causes him to have a low self-esteem [pg. 76, 93-
94]. He eventually pushes himself to change his name to Nikhil, only to eventually
learn about the shocking history behind his name, but now something he cannot fix.
Despite uncovering the secrets of his name, the new name frees him in many ways. It
frees him from his family, who bestowed his pet name upon him. He has his first
sexual encounter under the name Nikhil. He also begins to date American women
while keeping his parents in the dark about his activities. With his new name, Gogol
virtually becomes a new identity in his early adult years, "His parents have expressed
no curiosity about his girlfriend. His relationship with her is one accomplishment in
his life about which they are not in the least bit proud or pleased" (Lahiri 16). This
emotional appeal is meant by Lahiri to demonstrate the guilt Lahiri feels when he
does something he knows would displease his parents, despite his desire to break free
from them as he matures. In other words, as "Nikhil," Gogol begins to live his life for
the first time as his own person, exploring his own interests and distancing himself
from what he found to be a confining life as "Gogol”. Gogol has not only changed his
name, but himself entirely. From early on in life, Gogol realizes that he, in a sense,
does not “belong”. He realizes that no amount of citizenship papers can make you
feel American [pg. 69]. Years later, after more experience in America, he still cannot
come to feel fully included.
Gogol eventually convinces himself that he is indeed American, and it is clearly
visible throughout the book. He breaks away from his parents and essentially lives the
“American dream”. However, no matter how much Gogol ventures out into the
world, it seems that he can never completely forget his roots. He refers to his culture
quite frequently [pg. 149] thinking back to his parents, whom he has abandoned in
many ways. These nostalgic moments can be interpreted in a way that Gogol is
actually thankful to be from the background that he is from.