Michael Gogol Identity

1. If I were given a name but felt like a different name, I would most likely change it. Someone’s name can really contribute to their identity. For some people, if you see their name you can tell where they are from. But, in Gogol’s case it represented the good things that happened after his father’s incident. Like Gogol’s father said, “‘You remind me of everything that followed.’” Gogol changed his name because he wanted to become a different person and wanted a name that would fit in with the other names other people had. Although, after his father’s death he realizes that there won’t be a lot of people to call him Gogol anymore. But, growing up with a name and changing it can be hard since you’re already used to your other name. In the

Gogol’s acceptance into the family wasn’t that genuine but there doesn’t seem to be any underlying evidence of racism. When Gogol was first introduced to Maxine’s family they were, “at once satisfied and intrigued by his background, by his years at Yale and Columbia, his career as an architect, his Mediterranean looks.” This shows that Maxine’s family really just appreciated and liked his fancy background and how it fits in with their extravagant house and fancy things. When talking to them about India they ask him, “‘what’s Calcutta like? Is it beautiful?’”, which proves again that they only care about things like this. So, Gogol’s acceptance wasn’t that

Yes, I can relate to some of Gogol’s coming of age thoughts and feelings that he has. As Gogol grew up, he always wanted to fit in. Like him, and many other people I also want to fit in with other people. Gogol also rebelled against what his parents wanted him to do for awhile by going to parties and smoking. Although, I haven’t done many big things like that, I’ve done small little things to rebel against my parents. When he fell in love with Maxine, he barely saw his parents kind of like a taking a break from them. Sometimes, I and other kids also feel like we do need a break to get away from our parents. But, in the end, I still do love them, just like how Gogol still loves his parents.

8. If I were to write a sequel to The Namesake I would want to write about Sonia’s life. Just like we got to see Gogol’s life since he was a baby, I would want to know what Sonia’s life was more like and how it might’ve been different from Gogol’s. Sonia also had a fiancé at the end of The Namesake so I would want to know how her marriage would turn out and if it would be a disaster like Gogol. I would also want to see a bit of how Gogol’s life turned out. I would maybe even want to see the life of Sonia’s children. There would be a lot that I would want to happen if there were a sequel to The