Lahiri's "The Namesake"

Compare/contrast Gogol’s “The Overcoat” with Lahiri’s The Namesake. How is a name like an overcoat?

            Gogol’s “The Overcoat” runs parallel to Lahiri’s The Namesake. In both pieces, the main characters hide behind something. In The Namesake, Nikil/Gogol hides behind his name, as a sort of security blanket, something he can blame his shortcomings on. In “The Overcoat”, Akakiy uses his new material possession to hide behind in social situations. This coat gives him the confidence and social standing he needs to fit in with his peers, as Gogol’s name change seems to do for him. Similarly, the coat and the name both act security blankets, helping the characters be something they are or aren’t on a day-to-day basis.

Trace Gogol/Nikil’s struggle with his name and his identity. Do you think he ever makes peace with his name?

In his early childhood, Gogol did not understand the background behind his name or the fact that it was not a proper Indian name, leading him to declare it as his “good” name for school. Upon this declaration, Gogol became his official name and continued to play a role in his life. It set him apart from his peers, giving them reasons to poke fun at him and create funny nicknames. When studying Nikolai Gogol, he is dragged deeper into the jeering of fellow students. Upon learning several discouraging aspects of Nikolai Gogol’s background, he is upset his parents would name him after such a volatile, unpopular and odd man.

            He eventually decides that the only way to put an end to this miserable name is to change it, to his parents’ original choice of a good name, Nikil. But even after he legally changes his name, the nickname Gogol is still with him, for it is all his family and friends know him as. Over time, he surrounds himself with new people throughout college and graduate school but on rare occasions his parents will accidentally refer to him as his childhood pet name, leading him back into the downwards spiral of the never ending story of Gogol.

            Soon before the death of his father, the one who loved [Nikolai] Gogol’s work the most, he comes to terms with the importance of his name. For it was this author who saved Ashoke’s mangled and buried body from being forgotten and passed in the wreckage of the train he had been riding in Calcutta. These pages had been the pages that saved his life. Gogol finally comes to terms with the great emotion behind his name and importance it played in his father’s life.

Consider the blossoming of Ashima in the course of the novel. In what ways does she grow and develop?

            At the very beginning of the novel, Ashima is a traditional Bengali woman, set in her beliefs and hesitant to move to America, a place where she does not know a soul. She continues to cringe at American behaviors and customs, sticking to her Indian cuisines and attire. As her children begin to grow up, she notices their American tendencies, talking back, asking for American food and even declaring their own name, as Gogol did as a four-year-old. As Sonia and Gogol reach their teenage years, the differences are even more pronounced, forcing Ashima to hold her tongue when it comes to their behaviors.

            Once the two are old enough to date, she slowly becomes accustomed to their relationships with non-Bengalis. Although hesitant to accept Gogol’s first American girlfriend Maxine, Ashima eventually begins to accept the fact that her children were born and raised in this country and they are very likely to follow these traditions. By the very end of the novel, Ashima is independent and ready to travel and live on her own, experiencing life in the ways she wants to.

Discuss Gogol/Nikil’s relationships with women. What do the relationships have in common? Why does each break down at some point?

            When it comes to women, Gogol seems to be too trusting and naïve. Since as an adolescent he had little to no luck even approaching girls because of his name, it seems he now is just shocked that women even want to give him the time of day. With Maxine, he nearly drops everything in his life in order to form his life around hers. He basically moves in with her and her parents, taking up their hobbies and meshing into their family rather quickly. Until he realizes how many extreme differences the two of them have, Gogol is in a blissful and unaware state. Similarly, in his marriage to Moushumi, he forgets all he has learned from his previous relationship and falls madly in love with this obviously unhappy woman. Because of Gogol’s naivety, he falls into the same situation for a second time. As Gogol continues in this pattern, his relationships continue to fall apart.

Many episodes in the novel occur on the train. What is the significance of this?

The train scene Ashoke experiences early on his life, remains an important and significant event throughout his life and the lives of his family members. Since he chooses to name his son after the author whom he acknowledges for his survival, simply seeing the name Gogol brings back the memories of the incident on the train. Since this one event carries so much significance, every scene on the train has a somewhat tense feeling of importance. In my opinion, the images and events that take place on the train after the train crash allow the reader/watcher to compare the severity and importance of each of the events in comparison to the crash. These scenes keep the reader thinking about trains and the significance of Gogol’s name.

In an interview with the author, Lahiri said she wanted India to function as a ghost in the background of the story. Does India function as a ghost or as something else?

Throughout the novel, the idea of India and the Ganguli’s family visits there, seem to function as more of a hassle then a positive influence upon the family. The children dread the trips and are forced to put their lives on hold in order to travel there. The way India haunts Gogol in the back of his mind, as something from his past but not necessarily involving his present, makes it seem like a ghost of sorts. He never really makes a true connection to the place his family is from, seeing it has somewhat of an obligation forced upon him by his parents. In that sense, India acts as a ghost to this new generation of Bengalis.





DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This story is about both Gogol and Ashima. It serves as Gogol's identity plot because the questions his identity throughout the story and is a minority int he greater society, both as an Indian in America and an Americanized Indian in India. Ashima is also trying to find herself throughout the story.
Contrasts between Bengali and American customs.
- the way they dress
-food and celebrations - wedding and funeral rituals
-rule about public affection - no touching or "i love you"
- names - pet names and good names - plus Ashima never uses Ashokes name
Central Events
Ch.1 - Ashoke's train accident
ch. 2 - googol's birth and naming
ch 3 - gogol makes his pet name his good name
Emerging Themes
1. identity
2. importance of traditions/names
3. transitions
Ashoke waits so long to tell Gogol about the origin of his name because it's a terrifying story and ashore wanted to wait until gogol was ready to hear and appreciate the truth. Plus, ashore may not have been ready to share such a personal and scarring story.
The end of the Namesake Moushimi's infidelity was SHOCKING because of the hight standards associated with the rituals of marriage.
Cross-cultural rituals and around death and dying Brings the family closer together but causes problems with oust side relationship because gogol hasn't let others in on the intense relationship between him and his family. hadn't let marine in on it plus ritual sso she couldn't really bethere for him. *Bengali traditions seems to comfort him

***Used Nikhil "Nick" to Americanize himself
Harder for the immigrant of the children of the immigrant? Immigrant because they not only struggle with the new culture but have a hard time dealing with the appeal of the American culture upon their children.