Gogol's Struggle For Identity

One’s past does not necessarily determine the course of his/her life but it cannot be said that it does not affect it profoundly. This is certainly the case for the children of the Ganguli family whose memories of their Bengali origins and multi-cultural upbringing heavily influence all aspects of their lives both socially and professionally. Their parents Ashoke and Ashima were both acutely aware of how disparate their culture is compared to that of America. For this reason struggled to maintain certain Indian traditions, while adapting to American customs, such as Christmas, solely for the sake of their children. However it is precisely the memories of this bicultural upbringing that cause both children’s colossal struggle for identity, heavily influencing both to take steps later on in life distancing themselves from either one so as to have a single cultural identity. Both children demonstrate significant character development when attempting to imbibe

Most affected by the constant shift in cultural affiliation and re-fashioning of family structure is the protagonist Gogol who from a very young age felt isolated due to the uniqueness and peculiarity of his name . It is this confusion in cultural affiliation that causes the evolution of Gogol’s polyvalent identity. His past feelings of isolation and early memories of disconnection engender in him an innate and fervent fear of solitude only exasperbated by his phobia of the culturally distancing effect of his name on Americans. His name and its place in defining his Bengali upbringing and heritage is what directly influences Gogol to change his name upon turning 18 in an attempt to forsake his Bengali past. To further distance himself from his “shameful” and “embarrassing” past he not only