How many phases of life do you have to go through to figure out truly how you identify yourself? Jhumpa Lahiri wrote a novel called “The Namesake” that is based on a boy struggling with his identity in being born American with Indian ancestry. It starts off with how his parents migrated to the United States from India without knowing anyone but having the reason to live a better life for themselves and their children.
However, their first-born Gogol was going to have difficulty in how he identifies himself due to him having to follow certain Bengali traditions living in America. As a young child, Gogol felt more connected to being American since he was understanding American culture in school and through his friends, however as he grows older he comes to terms of his Bengali-American culture. Gogol goes through phases throughout his life to find his identity.
It wasn’t just his name that had given him confusion on his identity, it was the way Ashima and Ashoke had attempted to keep the family traditions alive while living in America. Little did they know that both parents were also confused about which culture they belonged in. For Gogol’s 14th Birthday they celebrated the way both cultures would celebrate. “Gogol’s fourteenth birthday, like most events in his life was another excuse for his parents to throw a party for their Bengali friends” (p.72) They had him celebrate with his friends which was a basketball game, ping pong, hot dogs, cake, a typical American boy birthday. This helped his confidence in fitting in as an American. His Bengali party was more for his family to try to keep their cultural traditions alive with curry, and women dressed in saris.
Ashima and Ashoke wanted to attempt to keep Gogol into being interested in his heritage but seem to have noticed he is more interested in the American ways. Gogol and Sonia had already felt that they didn’t belong to being Indian when they visited Calcutta. When they arrived, they felt more “foreign” then actually feeling part of the heritage. Sonia and Gogol sensed the feeling of being judged and looked at differently. They had adapted to an attitude of an American adolescent, so when they were in Calcutta they had to be on their best behavior. Indian’s were known for self-discipline, and different attitude values. This made both Gogol and Sonia feel less connection and discomfort while being in Calcutta.
Ashima wanted to be more Bengali, but she noticed herself that she had adapted to some American ways. This happens when you leave your country for so long, it’s hard to come back feeling the same. This was one phase in life were Ashima wanted to expose her children to a Bengali culture but ended failing due to them being Americanized due to friends and their surroundings.
His name played in big part in his cultural identity, it made him be more confused about where he belonged and in what culture he was part of. In kindergarten Gogol’s parents had instructed his teacher to have him be called by his pet name “Nikihil”. In a Bengali culture a child is to be born with two names, his birth name which is his good name, and his pet name which is considered to be a nickname. Gogol was thrown off when his parents had him be called by his pet name. “And what do you, Gogol? Do you want to be called another name?” (p 59) Gogol objected, and was to keep his name as Gogol. He starts to get questions from his friends as to what his name meant in Indian, and where it came from. However, there was a reason his father named him Gogol and wanted his pet name to be Nikhil which was a Bengali name.
Gogol understands that names should represent who you and your heritage, his name was not an American nor an Indian name, it was a Russian name that represented an author. He feels confused since it has no significance to his culture or identify. I understand his point of view of wanting to have a name that represents more of his culture. Feeling betrayal and ashamed of his name, he decides to change his name before heading to college. In this phase, he is seeing himself shift away from being Indian to being more Americanized.
He changes his name to Nikhil, he feels like that name signifies more of his identity. He feels as if Nikhil resembles more of himself, the name change gave him courage and bravery, it also got him to go out with girls more. “It is as Nikhil that he loses his virginity at a party with Ezra Stile, with a girl wearing a plaid woolen skirt and combat boots and mustard tights” (p.33) He meets women that have a significance in finding his identity, but he is also drifting away from his family. Bengali cultures have more of a stricter policy to dating women and arranged marriages, Gogol did not want to follow any those restrictions when he was with his American friends. Being Nikhil he had many girlfriends all which tested him as to how he identified himself.
Gogol’s first girlfriend Ruth signified his separation from his Bengali culture. The second girl he dates Maxine is living the fancy American dream, he is very interested in her lifestyle and family. That relationship was a phase Gogol went through as a significance of freedom. He doesn’t tell her family much about his Bengali culture, because he seems as if they wouldn’t be interested. “But now that he’s Nikhil it’s easier to ignore his parents, to tune out their concerns and pleas” (p.105) By this he has had no contact with his family, Nikhil has made him a different person not being a family man and acting as if he does not have any family or background culture. His father passes away as he is living with Maxine, that is when his life turned back to him wanting to be part of his Bengali roots.
Maxine and Gogol break up shortly after his father’s death. He then meets up with Moushumi which is a childhood Benaglian friend. Moushumi herself is dealing with the same cultural identity struggle. She knows him by both his names, which none of his friends knew him as Gogol. He was living two different lives as to having two different names. She was a culture shock to him since he only dated white women, Moushumi brought him back to his roots.
However, she also was looking for an escape of her roots. “Moushumi has kept her last name. She doesn’t adopt Ganguli, not even when a hyphen” (p 227) As for a Bengali women she is to change her last name when married to her husband’s last name. She was being rebellious to her roots and keeping her last name as a freedom of being an American. They got married which seemed too good to be true, shortly after their marriage she had an affair. But it’s a thanks to her that he felt guilty for wanting to escape his roots and live a life that seemed too good to him. If it wasn’t for her talking some sense into coming back his family and realizing his entire identity was tied to his family. He pulled away from his family, he was losing his ties to his culture.
After all of Gogol’s past relationship he finally started to realize were he belong and how he identified himself. He spent time trying to distance himself from his own identity due to friends and surroundings. It was the obstacles that he encountered that put his identity to a test. At the end, he realized his identity was tied to his name. “Without people in the world to call him Gogol, no matter how long he himself lives, Gogol Ganguli, once and for all, vanish from the lips of loved ones, and so, cease to exist.” (p 289) It wasn’t how his name represented or how it sounded weird the entire time it was who knew him as Gogol which was tied to his family and culture.
The conclusion of this story was simply Gogol did not consider himself more Bengali nor only American. He was born in America which made him an American citizen, but he had beliefs and values of an Indian heritage. At the end of the story he identified himself as a Bengali-American. Being a second-generation child is sometimes not easy, I personally myself dealt with the same struggles as Gogol did. Growing up in a Mexican family at home I valued my beliefs just to please my parents, but at school I was valued my American beliefs just so I would be different.
During adolescent, the point is to fit in and not stand out, that is how Gogol felt. He felt that Nikhil made him a different person that fitted in and was perfect for his life. A name change does not mean your personality changes its all the in the head that changes the personality. He learned from his mistakes and relationships that came to a conclusion of his culture identity.
