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The Namesake Literary Analysis Essay

445 Words2 Pages

Literary Analysis of The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri is a creative author writer who displayed in the novel The Namesake the challenges and numerous aspects of immigration, relationships, identity and language. Also the author uses some literary techniques including imagery and symbolism. More specifically, the plotline of the story offers insight into the life of the Ganguli family and the struggles they face by respecting their native Indian roots and merging into American culture. The Ganguli family is an example and signifies the examination of family dynamics and the struggle of individual learning to establish and grow into ones identity, even with overwhelming parental influence with opposing beliefs. A situation that displays relationships between parents and children is when Sonia and Gogol did not come home to spend Thanksgiving with Ashima (Lahiri 159). Their need for independence is opposite of the need Ashima …show more content…

When Ashima was pregnant with her first born being very new to America she longed for her parents and specifically describes using imagery to home her parents are in the exact set up of that time of day in Calcutta. The migration from Calcutta to America was a major adjustment early on in Ashima and Ashoke’s marriage. The feeling of loneliness and containing different values and duties than the people you are surrounded with in you environment. The struggle of name and identity is relevant when Gogol starts kindergarten and hid parent instruct him to go by “Nikihil” at school and “Gogol” at home; since this is Bengali way to a private name to close family and then a name for formal use. As a child, he associates a new name with a new identity. “He is afraid to be Nikihil, someone he

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