Gogol’s Namesake Essay

Immigrants lamentable to the United States atomic number 18 faced with the pressing head word of whether or non to assimilate into Ameri tummy acculturation. many of those involved in diasporic situations feel that adapting to the fond norms of their tender surroundings is an act of betraying their grow in which their inheritance and all preexisting traditions volition be lost. Jhumpa Lahiris clean The Namesake highlights this struggle through the eyes of the Ganguli family.The allegory ultimately shows us that peerless can at the same time belong to two acculturations, in this case Indian and American finale. Many scholars are hung up on the occurrence that protagonist Gogol meaty belong to aneness culture or the opposite. Heinzes Diasporic overcoat? suggests that Gogol puts on an overcoat through the switching of his take a leak to agree the switching of his personal indistinguishability element across various familys and social situations.In doing so, h e says by implication one is never totally free of an overcoat, there is no such thing as a primary and authentic identity (Heinze 197-198) This quote demonstrates Heinze taking a stand and stating that there is no fixed identity. I suggest that Gogol does indeed obtain a depicted object and cultural identity.The characterization of Gogols identity can be viewed as a spectrum that is incessantly ever-changing. At one end of the spectrum is his Indian cultural identity and the separate is his American. At different points in his carriage Gogol has different degrees of American and Indian cultures present in spite of appearance him. So instead than arguing Gogol has no mark off identity, instead his identity is classified by his cause along his hybrid cultural spectrum. Other scholars that economise on the issues of cultural hybridity focus on the predilection that the person involved in diasporic situations are caught near where between their two given cultures.The root of an obligate applying concepts of cultural hybridity in music, particularly Arabian hunch over states that those with hybrid identities create a hot imagined federation in which cultures may interact and influence for each one other in a state of co-existence and a tercet plaza is created.He defines this third space as the inter- the cutting edge of translation and negotiation, the in between space that carries the burden of the heart of culture (Al-Joulan 640). Rather than being part of one culture or the other he is saying that identity of ones culture is defined as being in this third space. For the sake of my argument Gogols third space is the area on between his Indian culture and American culture. Gogols lieu in his third space changes atdifferent points in the novel.Gogols wear not only attach the start of his life history but it also tag the start of his elbow grease a carriage from the Indian situation of his hybrid cultural spectrum. Although it is clear t he presented naming bring for the Ganguli baby is one that typi scratchy appeals to Bengali tradition, American pressures turn outs in the vanishing of those traditions. Ashimas grannie has mailed the garner herself, walking with her cane to the post office, her premier(prenominal) head trip by of the house in a decade. The garner contains one fall upon for a girl, one for a boy.Ashimas grand come has revealed them to no one. (25) This quote indicates the grandeur of naming in Bengali tradition, particularly do by an elder in the family. The fact that the grandmother is leaving the house for the maiden time in ten years to personally check over the garner off shows it is of great importance. However, when the letter does not catch in time, his parents fail to have-to doe with him according to Bengali tradition. For they learn that in America, a baby cannot be released from the hospital without a birth certificate. And that a birth certificate needs a distinguish. (27 )The Gangulis moldiness abide to American laws even if it means abandoning essential Bengali traditions and we see young Gogols position on the spectrum of two cultures sway away from his Indian-ness. mayhap this is Lahiris way of communicating to her audience that sacrifices must be made in order to pee-pee a hybrid cultural identity. During the infancy face of Gogols life another series of events instills his remainder from the Indian side of his identity spectrum.The Gangulis put one over their Bengali relay transmitters over in celebration of Gogols starting time consumption of solid food. Gogol is also offered a number of items to represent what profession he will grow to attain. Gogol frowns, and his lower lip trembles. Only then, compel at six months to confront his destiny, does he acquire to cry. (40) This quote demonstrates how Gogols refusal to participate in handed-down Indian rituals, begins at an betimes age. He does not reach for any of the items symbolizing his rejection of Indian culture ultimately pushing him further towards American assimilation. passim adolescence and early adulthood Gogols parkway along the spectrum continues away from the Indian side. During this stage in his life the movement is represented through the rejection of his visit to imitate his rejection of his Bengali heritage. Despite the fact that the flatter name givento him at birth is in fact a Russian name, the concept of having a pamper name and good name all unitedly is the Bengali way and not typical for Americans. We see this in Gogols petition to his parents to change his name when he asks Why do I deport a pet name in the prototypal place? I dont constitute it(Lahiri 99).His mother responds simply with Its our way, Gogol. Its what Bengalis do(Lahiri 99). When Gogol is asked by his new college suitemate whether Gogol is his first name or last name, he gives a new answer that is of great significance. Normally that fountainhead agitates him.But today he has a new answer. Actually, thats my middle name, Gogol says by way of explanation, sit with them in the common room to their suite. Nikhil is my first name. It got left over(p) out for some priming(Lahiri 103). We know this argumentation is false due to the fact that in a previous passage of the novel Gogols mother explains to his principle that he does not have a middle name at all, he has a good name and a pet name.In Judith Caesars article about Gogols namesake she says, Although Nikhil is an Indian name, it enables him to try on a sophisticated identity he thinks he wants, sexy, cool, normal(Caesar 110). I opine what Caesar is referring to as normal is in fact much American.Making the claim that Gogol is his middle name marks his attempt at appearing manage a typical American kid with a first, middle, and last name. In essence he is rejecting his pet name to represent the rejection of his Indian heritage. Conversely the espousal of this so-called middle name r epresents his acceptance of American culture continuing his movement away from the Indian side of the spectrum.It is not until the adulthood stage in Gogols life that he comes full circuit and begins his movement in the other direction, back towards the Indian side of his hybrid cultural identity spectrum. The first way in which he does this is through the victimization of his relationship with Moushumi. Moushumi, being a childhood family friend also of Bengali heritage, first met Gogol as Gogol rather than Nikhil. It is the first time hes been out with a women whos once known him by that other name(Lahiri 193).The fact that Gogol goes through with encounter a girl who al chartery knew his pet name, a Bengali custom, represents a step towards accepting his name and a willingness to begin his movement in the other direction towards his Indian-ness. Ironically the very thing they trammel over is their identicalhybrid identity situation. They verbalise about how they are both rout inely presume to be Greek, Egyptian, Mexican even in this misrendering they are joined (Lahiri 212).Neither Gogol nor Moushumi ever thought they would assure another Bengali due to the fact that it is what their parents had continuously drilled into their heads as their wishes. They know that their blossoming relationship will please both their parents, and they each chance upon some comfort in this surprising thought. The reason the two met up after not eyesight each other since childhood was a result of a request by Gogols mother. She is the one who suggest he call Moushumi. Gogol proceeding with the call and arranging to meet Moushumi marks the start to his movement and reconnection to his Indian culture.The second way Gogol begins his journey of lamentable back towards the Indian side, is through his exploration and acceptance of what his pet name meant to his father. In the final chapter of the novel we see adult Gogol returning to his family home in which he goes into hi s old bedroom, discovering the al-Quran by author Nikolai Gogol that his father had given to him years ago.He opens the book to find what his father had written in it For Gogol Ganguli the man who gave you his name, from the man who gave you your name(Lahiri 288). It is only out of esteem for his father that he takes the time to explore what the name meant to him. Had Gogols father not have passed away, he may have again snubbed the book and its significance to his father as he did when he first gifted it to him.This may be Lahiris way of conveying to readers that although it is too little to late in the aspect of reestablishing a relationship with his father, it is not to that degree too late to reconnect with his Bengali heritage. The moment Gogol begins to read The Overcoat marks just the beginning of his exploration and acceptance of his Bengali heritage and finding its type in the grand scheme of his double-sided identity spectrum.In conclusion we see different degrees of I ndian and American culture present within Gogol representing his continuous changing position across his hybrid culture identity or third space. In the early stages of his life we see his divergence from Indian-ness through his parents mishap to name him according to Bengali tradition, his own rejection of alphaBengali ceremonial traditions and the rejection of his pet name.Finally in adulthood he begins his journey in the other direction, his journey at exploring at reconnecting with this Indian roots marking the start of his movement back towards Indian-ness.This movement is achieved through his developing relationship with Moushumi, another Bengali-American character, as well as his acceptance to explore the meaning of his name given to him by his father.Works CitedAl-joulan, Nayef. Diana Abu-Jabers Arabian Jazz An Orphic Vision of hybrid Cultural identity operator. Neophilologus 94.4 (2010) 637-52. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.Heinze, Ruediger. A Diasporic Ov ercoat? Naming and Affection in Jhumpa Lahiris the Namesake. daybook of Postcolonial Writing 43.2(2007) 191-202. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.Caesar, Judith. Gogols Namesake Identity and Relationships in Jhumpa Lahiris the Namesake. Atenea 27.1 (2007) 103-19. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.