Essay Comparing Wayman In Love And The Namesake

“Wayman in Love” by Tom Wayman and “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri both discuss the effects societal judgements and comparisons has on relationships. Wayman and his girl could not have the privacy they had wanted to have, because of the peeking eyes of the public. Gogol and his past partners have also been impacted greatly on societal judgements and comparisons, which was a big reason of his break ups. Gogol’s parents, Ashoke and Ashima, have both put immense pressure on Gogol’s future; especially in terms of marriage. His relationship with Ruth, his first girlfriend, had cracked because of Ashoke and Ashima’s disapproval of Ruth, a white girl not a Indian girl. Although Gogol wishes his parents would accept Ruth the way her parents accepted

She grew up in the same environment as Gogol, ate the same food, and experienced the same desire to become a true American. Although Gogol learned to embody the economical disadvantage they were experiencing, Moushimi was not content with the way they were living. “She [had] picked a fight with him...complaining about the noise on Third Avenue, about the sliding doors on the closets that always fall off the rails...” (Lahiri 238). The economic situation is upsetting her especially when her friends, Astrid and Donald, are living in a large, spacious house with a luxurious, laidback life. As Doktor Marx tells Wayman, “‘This will influence I assure you, your most intimate moments…’”. This, being the economical part of the relationship, did affect Gogol and Moushimi in a negative way. Their love was not enough to overcome the economic comparisons between Gogol and Moushimi, and Astrid and Donald. Although there are sayings that love will conquer all, that is not the case. As shown in “Wayman in Love” by Tom Wayman and “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri, relationships are bound to be withered and affected by societal intrusion. Whether it be through comparisons, interferences, or