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The Namesake

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Recommended: Themes of gothic literature

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri follows the life of Gogol Ganguli from his birth to age thirty-two. Gogol is American born child to Bengali parents, and the novel follows a series of events in his life. Gogol Ganguli, a twenty-seven-year-old man, is living in New York City and working for a large architectural firm. Gogol spends most of his time either at work or with his girlfriend, Maxine. Gogol is a person who has mostly disregarded his traditions and has accepted Maxine’s. Gogol is wholly immersed in the lifestyle that Maxine and her parents have, and he often does not talk to Maxine about his childhood, but he chooses to repress these moments. Gogol does not discuss his childhood and his trips to India. Gogol feels as these trips are awful, …show more content…

When Maxine comes to visit him in the wake of his father’s passing, she suggests that they should go to New Hampshire for their New Year’s Eve trip. Maxine believes Gogol needs to get away from his family and his childhood home, but Gogol disagrees as he wishes to remain as close to his family as possible right now. Gogol becomes more attached to his mother and sister. He begins spending much more time with them which results in him pushing Maxine out of his life. Gogol has the realization that Maxine does not fully understand him or his culture, and she has not put forth the effort to accomplish these tasks. Gogol has a deeper appreciation for all his mother and father have done for him. Another change is that Gogol is willing to travel to Calcutta to spread his father ashes in the Ganges. Gogol has an intense feeling of resistance towards his trips to India as a child, but Gogol’s lack of opposition to this demonstrates his newfound understanding of what India meant to his father and how India will be a part of his life forever. Gogol is guilt-ridden about his actions which lead to him shutting his family out of his life because to him his parents represent the life he never wants to live. The death of his father brings him to the realization that he cannot run away from his culture and must surround himself with people who respect and make an effort to understand

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