The Namesake is the story of a young man’s struggle with his name and in turn his identity. Gogol is named after a Russian author whose work Ashoke was reading just before he survived a terrible train accident years before. Gogol rejects this name and changes it to Nikhil before he leaves for college.
As a kid he doesn’t mind the name. When he starts school, his father tries to persuade Gogol to go by Nikhil but Gogol refuses. Up until this point Gogul is the only name he knows.
“Not only does Gogol Ganguli have a pet name turned good name, but a last name turned first name. And so it occurs to him that no one he knows in the world, in Russia or India or America or anywhere, shares his name. Not even the source of his namesake.” (78)
Upon discovering the…show more content… As Nikhil, he is given himself a new persona, in turn, more confidence to do things he wouldn’t have done as Gogol. Like when he had his first kiss with Kim. As well as the when he lost his virginity at a party at Ezra Stile. But this new identity seems to alienate himself the same as his other name. With his new name he seems to do anything to forget his roots. Like when Gogul was hanging out with the Ratliffs. He enjoyed his time with them due to their lifestyle. But it was clear they didn’t know him. They were intrigued by his roots but brushed them off saying he could pass off as Italian.Gogul just ignored it and brushed it off. As appealing as it was to Gogul, his time with the Ratliffs just drove him further away from his own heritage. This identity crisis has taken Gogol to many places and enter in many different relationships. But it seems as if his family is the ones that help him see who he truly is. His father seems to be the key to all of this. It's only after his dad tells him the story of Gogol's name that Gogol begins to see. And it's only after his father's that Gogol realizes something really
