Literary Analysis Essay on The Namesake

Introduction

The Namesake is a novel that talks about Gogol, an American-born, Bengali who strains to adapt to an American culture that his parents do not understand. The novel also talks about how Gogol family suffers from the effects of alienation and displacement. Pragmatically, isolation and sense of displacement are examples of intense cultural problems that immigrant communities face while in foreign countries of their choice. These problems affect Gogol through his youth and adult life, as he finds it difficult to get a balance between America and Bengali lifestyle. This is well illustrated through his romantic relationships.

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These romantic affairs act like a reflection of his current position, the efforts he is putting while trying to grasp the American culture, and the relationship he has with his parents. Each woman he has an affair with specify a specific instant in time where he is trying to discover his true cultural identity. Ruth depicts the first separation from the Bengali lifestyle; Maxine embodies a complete alienation from the culture, and Moushumi signifies a sense of balance between both America and Bengali lifestyles (Lahiri 80). In his first relationship, he takes the initial steps towards permanent alienation between him and Bengali culture. Further, Gogol searches for a first true love with Ruth. She comes from American culture, bold, and seems not to be concerned with her youthful. Gogol feels mindful narrating his own stories." When describing his own upbringing, it feels insipid by assessment." He feels disgraceful and even sees his parents as embarrassments to him.

He has a special relationship with Ruth and even likes the way she links him with the rest of the world. While together they are able to do wonderful things. Their relationship strains once Ruth leaves to Oxford to further her studies. Gogol desires to alienate himself from Bengali culture without affecting the relationship he has with his parents.

Gogol also has a serious affair with Maxine. They first met at a party in New York. At the beginning of their relationship, she seems like the answer to all the problems Gogol was going through since there was an immense bond between the two of them. He is also immediately assimilated into Ratliff family and her wife's culture can be best described as splendid. "He remembers that his parents cannot get in touch with him: he did not give them his number and the Ratliffs are not registered (Lahiri 138). At Maxine's side, he is free." During this time Gogol had fully embraced the American culture but things took a wrong turn the moment he was forced to include Maxine in his Bengal culture. "It occurs after his father's death, where the results to embrace his Bengali roots and later marries Moushimi after being divorced from Maxine."

The ending argument of his unreceptive affairs is evident with her second wife Maxine in New York. This shows a "juxtaposition" of two ideally dissimilar cultural groups. He hails from a complex setting (Bengali culture), which represents a first-generation of Indian-Americans and his discomfort with him not discovering his identity (Lahiri 141). Despite the initial efforts of Maxine to absorb Gogol, his desire to grasp the American culture and the passivity he had concerning relationships made him fall in love with Maxine. The main cause of them breaking up is after the death of Gogol's father. It makes him realize he needs to go and take up the possessions, house, wife, and children back at his matrimonial home. Gogol comes to terms with the reality that he cannot fit in American culture and reckons it is hard for her to comprehend and commiserate with the difficulties of the past then current life. "Gogol remembers the reaction of her wife when he told her about his other name, as they'd driven u from his parents' house" (Lahiri 170). If he had decided to stay with Maxine that would have meant he is abandoning his family.

Because of this, he chooses to have a relationship with Moushumi. They both fall truly in love. However, their relationship is affected by distressing problems, for instance, Gogol's egocentrism. It affects their logical and emotional compatibility (Lahiri 212). "Moushumi feels compelled, after marrying a man from the same culture (Bengali-American). It makes her more concerned in Gogol's creative and logical lives while in Brooklyn." After Ruth realizes that the ambitions she has cannot be fulfilled in a relationship with a man from her culture, they both eventually get separated and Gogol becomes a bachelor once again.

The author portrays Moushumi as the most intricate character in the novel concerning the idea of cultural identity. What makes her difficult is the fact that he is born in three nations (England, America, and France) and has Indian parents (Lahiri, 217). She is also in search of her identity just like Gogol and this makes their relationship difficult due to the resemblance of culture. "Moushumi tells him that for most of her life he was exactly, the sort of person she had tried to avoid." She likens her relationship with Moushumi to a "camp" in which she uses to take protection.

Gogol struggles to change his pet name after his father unravels the meaning or rather how the name came to existence. The combination of different cultures led to its formation. This happens after the failure of delivery of the letter, which happened after the grandmother dies. The name 'Ashoke' means 'he who transcends grief' (26). The horrible past and long-lasting nightmares are conveyed from the father to son who is now named Gogol. For instance, on page 187, the character experiences a nightmare that forces him and his father to go on a journey together. At the same time, there are different identities that are revealed through different stages of life, for example, the locality where Gogol grew, College, and place of residence. He wants to become a different person who is not underscored by cultural identities and thereby changes his name to Nikhil.

There is a struggle when Gogol feels that his wife Maxine cannot understand the 'other name'. This happens when his father dies and Gogol remembers his wife's reaction when he had told him about the origin of the 'other name'. He feels that his wife may not sympathize with him because of the past history something that creates complications and further results to their divorce. Gogol does not want to live with sometimes who rarely know nothing about his father (Lahiri 170). This means that he has joined his father even if it is through spirituality. There is confusion since Gogol is not ready to neglect his family. For the fact that Gogol wants to connect with his father is an interpretation of the cultural identity and an 'overcoat' which is a threshold of a new character in the novel.

In Gogol's marriage with Moushumi, the author describes it as a place where the wife takes refuge. To both partners, marriage is a reflection of a camp where a partner hides until they get a good relationship. Moushumi, Gogol's wife takes their marriage as a camp something that later propels her to develop an affair with another man. There is a struggle for the fact that the idea is complicated and it denies them peace (Lahiri 266). An understanding of their cultural identities is like a curse because it does not let them fathom themselves. Multiple cultural identities are like an 'overcoat' which causes confusion to them when they try comparing them to the people of modern American society.

The aspects of selfhood on a similar approach also cause confusion and struggle in Gogol's life. For instance, looking at the material self and the surrounding, there is no peace with rationality. This is explicated from features such as clothing, possession, and food. The Asian-Americas and Indians have different beliefs in terms of cultural identity and this is characterized by what they eat, how they dress, and lifestyle (104). However, Gogol is transcultural something that makes him struggle to understand where he should actually belong. He, therefore, seeks to make peace, which of course makes him struggle to understand the inner self. In page 105, the author tells the story of Akaky which is a reflection of Gogol. Akaky cannot cope to write anything of his own. In fact, he lacks originality and, on most occasions, he becomes a different person by wearing an overcoat. Fortunately, after finishing a party on his way home, his overcoat is stolen. He clasps a cold and dies in the process. Further, ghosts start hunting people who stole his overcoat. Similar to Gogol who is given a pet name that puts him into terrible dreams. Not only has that he become different characters in the novel through romantic relationships which are rejected. He lives in a more contented life to secure people but later he dies uncomfortably.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Gogol remembers what he encountered in his life and relationships. He is guilty of this for the fact that family is essential at this critical stage. He is frightened about his past, for abandoning his family because of intercultural identity and the urge to have many girls. He is even surprised at how his parents had done it by abandoning the family. He hates his emotional connection as he misses his family. The Namesake is like bondage for the fact that even Gogol is not relieved from his official name. In the struggles seen in Gogol's life, there is hidden freedom. He wants to untie the intercultural identity which caused his parents solace resulting in the emancipating intercultural identity. In the struggles, joy is the end product.

Works Cited

Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. London: Fourth Estate, 2009. Print.