The Namesake: Chapters 8-12

Chapters 9-12

Hi friend, welcome back to my final blog post! We have finally made it to the end of The Namesake and today I will be discussing a few my thoughts and some connections for chapters 9-12. The book was interesting to say the least, and some parts were definitely unexpected, but all in all it was an overall good book.

(Via Giphy.com)

Lots had happened since I last left you guys, although I will not spoil everything what happened for the sake of my devoted and loyal blog follower who have not yet finished or read the book. The one thing I’ll tell you though is that Gogol married a girl named Moushumi, who was similar to him in most aspects, but they eventually divorced because of certain technicalities.

It’s weird that two people with so many similarities and things in common, didn’t gel as I thought they might have. Both Gogol and Moushumi grew up in an Indian influenced household, yet they both rebelled and distanced themselves from their parents’ ideals and the Indian tradition. They had so much in common and could relate in so different many way. They seemed almost like a perfect match. This situation relates to the sports world. Clubs and sports organisations often seek for players who would complement and enhance their team.  They often search for players who have personal and athletic qualities that correlate with their roster. Just like how organisations search for players who fit perfectly with their roster, Ashima thought that Moushumi would be a great match for Gogol. “One day when he is specking to her on the phone, she asks him if he might be willing to call someone. He had known her as a girl, his mother explains. Her name is Moushumi” (Lahiri 192).

Don't call her Gogol, "it's a trap" (Via Giphy.com)

Even though sometimes sporting trades and transfers may seem perfect in retrospect, some turn out being absolute flops. One situation in particular that can relate to Moushumi and Gogol’s relationship quite nicely is the blockbuster trade of Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012. The Lakers thought that Dwight would complement Kobe Bryant’s play style, fit in perfectly with the organisation and bring Los Angeles another championship. But, the opposite happened, Kobe and Dwight didn’t create any chemistry and Dwight didn’t gel with the organisation. Although Moushumi and Gogol, and the Lakers and Dwight, might have seemed as a perfected match, they both ended up failing. Sometimes things which seem perfect on paper are not in reality. I the thing that even though Moushumi and Gogol resemble a perfect match, I feel that they never truly loved each other and it was circumstance what brought them together.  

(Via examiner.com)

It looks like this blog has come to an end. Thank you for following me as I read the namesake, and be sure to check out my future entries.

The Namesake: Chapters 5-7

Chapters 5-7: Decisions and Identity

Hello Friends! Welcome back to my blog. Today I will be discussing some connections and my thoughts of chapters 5-7 of The Namesake. But before you read be sure to check out my last post if you have not already done so. It is truly delightful.

As the novel progresses, we discover that Gogol legally changes his name to Nikhil. His parents surprisingly don’t make a huge deal about the name change, although they did agure with Gogol, but eventually gave in. Ashoke even says; "In America anything is possible. Do as you wish" (Lahiri 99). Basically Ashoke is resigning to the fact that his son is an American and he is allowing Gogol to make his own decisions because in American anything is possible. Personally, if I were to switch my name, my parents wouldn’t agree with the decision and would probably feel insulted. Although, Gogol situation is different since technically Nikhil is Gogol good and proper name.

By changing his name Gogol not only gets a new name, but also creates a new identity. As Nikhil, he alienates himself from his parents and their Indian culture and begins to follow the American culture. While as Gogol, he was influenced by his parents to continue to keep Indian traditions. In this section, I feel that the story mainly follows Gogol search for identity as Nikhil. We can all relate to the search for identity. We all are discovering what we like and dislike and what we think is right and wrong.  We all have to make decisions which will ultimately affect our future, no matter the intensity of the decision. One decision in particular we have to decide upon is what we want to do after secondary school. Gogol’s decision was to leave and explore the American culture at university away from home. I will be probably going to university at home, since it is a lot cheaper financially.

I also believe that Gogol relates to Anakin Skywalker from the Star Wars trilogy. This may be a far-fetched connection although if you look at Gogol and Anakin through a certain perceptive, you’ll be able to see the correlation. First of all, when Anakin turns into Darth Vader, his identity completely changes and he does things that the old Anakin would never do. Just like Anakin, when Gogol changes his name to Nikhil he begins to act differently and he also creates a new identity for himself. “It is as Nikhil that he loses his virginity at a party at Ezra Stile, with a girl wearing a plaid woolen skirt and combat boots and mustard tights” (Lahiri 105).  Nikhil also begins to isolate himself from his parents, starts to act like an American by partying and getting girlfriends, thing that Gogol himself would find tough to do. 

I hope you enjoyed my blog, be sure to check out my next blog dropping sometime next week!

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Work Cited:

Decision Picture. N.d. Decision Fatigue. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Anakin Skywalker. N.d. How Anakin Skywalter Became Darth Vader. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

The Namesake: Chapters 1-4

Chapter 1-4: Adaptation

In the novel the namesake, written by Jhumpa Lahiri, one of the main themes is adaptation. In this novel we follow a recently married Bengali couple trying to adapt to American Culture, in America while raising their son. It is clear that throughout the beginning of the novel Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli are struggling to adapt to American culture, without losing their Indian traditions. Yet, it is more of a struggle for Ashima, since she has recently arrived from India to America, in a completely new environment, different from her norms and away from everything she knew and loved.

This theme in this section can relate to my grandmothers personal life and her experience of immigrating to Canada. My grandmother and her sister emigrated from Germany to Canada around 1951. Just like the Ganguli’s, my grandmother moved from a place she was accustomed to, to go to a different country to pursue greater and better things. She came to Canada without knowing any English, and had few connections. She definitely had trouble adapting to Canadian culture and to a completely different society. Just like Ashima, my grandmother was scared to live in a foreign country without the support of her family and friends. In the novel Ashima is seen to afraid and anxious to raise a child in a foreign land with any support. She even goes on to say; “I'm saying I don't want to raise Gogol alone in this country. It's not right. I want to go back” (Lahiri 33). Ashima is scared of having a child in a country that she hasn’t adapted to, because she doesn't feel accepted and comfortable in America, while her son will feel at home being born in America. Likewise, my grandmother didn't feel comfortable in Canada.

My grandmother also experienced a language barrier, not knowing any English, and having to learn the language to accommodate to the Canadian culture. Although, she was not obligated to learn the language, she felt that in order to adapt and fit into the Canadian society, she had to learn English. Even after learning the language my grandmother preferred to converse with her sister in their native tongue around others, which relates to how Ashima and Ashoke still communicate in their preferred langue in front of others. “I’ll be back, Ashoke says to her in Bengali” (3)   

Another connection between Ashima and my grandmother is that even though my grandmother wanted to learn and adapt to the Canadian culture, she didn't want to lose her German culture. Ashima in the novel wants to familiarize with the American culture, and as the novel progress Ganguli family being to adapt to the American culture by starting to celebrate American holidays. Yet, Ashima still wants to keep her Indian traditions, culture and religion. Just like Ashima, my grandmother also wanted to keep her homeland culture in her new environment. My grandmother to this day still prepares and serves a famous German dessert called Apple Strudel to maintain her culture and Ashima tries to maintain her Indian traditions in the novel by continuing to wear her traditional Indian dress, a sari. Finally, my grandmother connects to Ashima, through struggling to adapt in an unknown country, and still wanting to keep traditions.