The Namesake

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The key aspect of culture is difference. There are many differences between cultures and one is names. By moving to different parts of the world will make a realization of the differences. Many cultures or parts of the world will have common names. This story gives a great example because it tells a story about a young boy who realizes his differences after moving to America. His last name is completely rare in America. This is considered to be because of his culture. In “the Namesake,” Jhumpa Lahiri develops the theme that culture has its differences but in reality all culture are the same through his unique names, his care for it, and realization.

The start of all this was, that the young boy’s name is Gogol. He knows his name is different. He never sees it anywhere like others around him. To add, it doesn’t help that he has an odd last name as well. Him with the last first name Gogol and last name Ganguli makes it even harder to find someone with a similar name. For example, his class went on a field trip to a graveyard and he didn’t see his name on one gravestone. In the story it said,”the children begin to scamper between rows of the dead, over leathery leaves, looking for their own names, a handful triumphant when when they are able to claim a grave they were related to.” He obviously didn’t find his which relates to the fact …show more content…
People want him to realize he shouldn’t care that his name is different because it doesn’t honestly matter. Another script from the reading says, “He has been told that he was named after a famous Russian author, born in a previous century.” This made him realize that he’s not alone and he knows he doesn’t really care. Next, to get to the point the author literally said it doesn’t bother him. “It doesn’t bother him..” stated Jhumpa Lahiri. He blantly said he doesn’t mind his name and knows its different. It is clearly stated that Gogol doesn’t mind his

The Namesake Similarities

them like their understanding to the common situations that they have been through. Most of the time, immigrants have a similar understanding concerning their lives out of their home country. They are confronted by similar challenges. The novel The Namesake, written by Jhumpa Lahiri, illustrates the experiences of Ashima and Ashoke, a Bengali couple who moved to America for a better life and education. Also, the NPR interview with Professor Lahiri describes the experience of her…

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The Namesake Culture

appeal. In the collection of Jhumpa Lahiri’s debut novel, The Namesake, she skillfully uses the cultural and physical surroundings to shape the psychological traits in Ashima Ganguli. On account of cultural differences between Bengali and American, her family members living apart, and Ashoke Ganguli’s sudden death, these occurrences establish Ashima’s adaption, certainty, and independence in accepting the United States. In The Namesake, the author, Lahiri, meticulously places Ashima into a challenge…

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The Namesake Essay

“What’s in a name? That which we a call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” In other words’ words shouldn’t affect how much you love something because you should love something because you should love it just the same.Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake, a novel about an Indian man who is unsure of who he is because he can’t connect to a specific culture, illustrates the fallacy of Shakespeare’s assertion. Through J. Lahiri’s use of characterization, symbols and figurative language, it is clear Gogol’s name is…

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The Namesake Short Story

worse when the individual has not been culturally aware of the surrounding world. After being entirely immersed in a new culture, one can feel disconnected from other due to language barrier, different customs, and even daily habits. In the story The Namesake, a family returns to America after an eight-month vacation trip in India and experience and have to revert back to their American lifestyle: “They still feel somehow traveling, still disconnected…

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Summary Of Juxtaposition In The Namesake

Through the use of juxtaposition, this indicates how different Nikhil's life is from that of his girlfriends. On page 128, in The Namesake, it states, “They’d begun fighting, both admitting in the end that something had changed.” This implies that Nikhil's first-ever relationship with a girl of a different ethnicity didn’t go well at all. Considering that Nikhil himself is Bengali and Ruth, his girlfriend, is white, demonstrates how they both come from different cultural backgrounds. Therefore, it…

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The Namesake Character Analysis

In the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, she introduces an Indian family which will explain each family member’s story about their journey to raise their own family. However, this essay will focus mainly on Gogol and Ashoke’s relationship with one another. Ashoke expresses throughout the novel, that he wants what is best for his son, Gogol and never get extremely angry with Gogol. Gogol and his father will constantly have disagreements and will misunderstand each other. Gogol tries to live an…

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Comparing The Dew Breaker And The Namesake

The Namesake presents the same challenges as those faced by people in The Dew Breaker. Immigrants suffer when they arrive in a foreign country. One of the main challenges is the language barrier. All immigrants are looked down upon by the local communities. When the comparison is made between the immigrants in The Dew Breaker and those from The Namesake, clear distinct difference arises. The immigrants in The Namesake are a traditionalist who follows all the little details in their culture. The immigrants…

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Differences And Contrast Of The Namesake By Jhumpa Lahiri

November 24, 2013 Professor Lyn Megow English 100.02 Compare and Contrast of the Namesake In The Namesake based on the book and movie by Jhumpa Lahiri, there are several events and scenes that are interpreted differently throughout the film and book. The book is based on Gogol Ganguli, the son of immigrant parents Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli who struggles with his double identity and rebellion towards his family. The movie is quite different with its focus on the parents and their relationship…

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Brief Summary Of Jacob Ashcraft's The Namesake

Jacob Ashcraft The Namesake 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…

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The Namesake and Bend it Like Beckham Belonging essay

My two texts are “The Namesake” and “Bend it like Beckham”. Our prescribed text, Jhumpa Lahiris “The Namesake” explores the link to belonging in detail. The emphasis is on Gogol Ganguli. Gogol struggles with a sense of belonging to his family and his Bengali culture and heritage throughout his life in the course of the novel. Born and raised in the U.S., while his parents spent their entire life in India following Bengali culture and practices and moved on to America as young adults. Gogol must try…

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