"The Namesake"- Jhumpa Lahiri

"The Namesake"

       Jhumpa Lahiri

                                                   

      Jhumpa Lahiri was a Bengali Indian woman writer. In 1999, Lahiri published her first short story collection entitled Interpreter of Maladies. It dealt with the issues of Indians or Indian immigrants, including their generation gaps in understanding and values.

Character list:

Ashoke Ganguli

Ashima Ganguli

Nikhil/Gogol Ganguli

Sonali Ganguli

Moushumi Mazoomdar

About the novel:

        The novel is about the three people Ashoke, Ashima and Nikhil/ Gogol Ganguli.  The novel covers the time past and present. Marriage life of Ashoke and Ashima covers the time past. While the life of Ashoke and Ashima with their children Nikhil and Sonali it covers the time present. After marriage job of Ashoke shifted in foreign. Ashima always remembered her past with her family and her relatives. Ashima have one kid but they have problem about their son that what name should be given to their child. Ashoke insisted the name “Gogol”. Ashima agreed with that name temporary because she waiting for the name which was given by her Bengali family. Afterward she got the name is Nikhil. But Ashima ask to her child that which name should you like Gogol or Nikhil.

      At the child age he attracted towards the name of Gogol but after the incident of school he wants to change his name from Gogol to Nikhil. It is because he mock by his classmate but his class teacher told one story about the writer Nikolai Gogol. The story is that he highly suffered in his life. So, this matter highly affected in his life. His father denied changing the name because this name very much connected to his past. Due to this name and this writer’s book “The Overcoat” by Nikolai Gogol his life was save once upon a time. Ashoke also insist to read that book. Nikhil have many affairs with various girls and married with Moushumi Mazoomdar who was also immigrant from Bengal to foreign. But their marriage life not becomes successful. He doesn’t like India. But because of their parents he visit India. After visiting India he highly affected towards the heritage of India and from that he got the idea to become architecture.

       Gogol becomes the sandwich between to name, two identities and two nations. He suffers a lot because of two different matters.

The Namesake: A Critique:

Immigrants:

      The Namesake, it is not only about the clash between two names but indirectly Jhumpa tries to show the clash between two identities- first is Indian and second is as a foreigner or as a NRI.   

Gogol

And

Nikhil

      The two names of own character show the conflict between two identities and two different nations. They become the sandwich between two different mattes. They haven’t their personal identity. Moreover tries to sustain their life in between two matters. Another thing is that it is difficult to Ashima to adjust in foreign. She always remembered her India or in a way her family and relative. She always suffers to adjust in that culture.

Generation Gap:

“Old”                          “New”

Ashoke                       Gogol

Ashima                      Gogol

Ashoke                      Sonali

Ashima                      Sonali

        The relationship between father and son is very hard. Gogol doesn’t like the name which was given by his father. He doesn’t that his father interferes in his personal life. He wants to live life how he would like to live. Even in the choice of partner he doesn’t like his father suggestion. His relationship with mother is very soft. They both have their personal life and they don’t like to interfere their personal life by their parents. In their house they make one rule to speak in Bengali but Gogol and Sonali don’t like to speak in Bengali instead of English. Here the clash between “old generation” and “new generation”. Here the clash between “old morality” and “new morality”. 

Conclusion:

       

         In short whatever happens because of the SAKE of NAME. The life of Gogol becomes pathetic because of the two cultures, two identities, two nations and moreover two NAMES.