The Namesake Similarities

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Similarities Between Immigrants
“People are pretty much alike. It's only that our differences are more susceptible to definition than our similarities.” (Linda Ellerbee). Even though individuals differ from one another, there are some similarities that exist between 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 …show more content…
Mr. and Mrs. Lahiri have lived more than half of their lives and have family and grandchildren in America, but there are some situations that prevent them from thinking of themselves as American. In her interview, Lahiri says, “Yes. Absolutely. I mean, the accent, the fact that my mother wore traditional clothing- that marked them immediately as soon as we went out into the public sphere” (2). The different accent that they have and their different looks and appearance make Lahiri’s parents unique from Americans. Their uniqueness creates a feeling in Lahiri’s parents that they don’t belong in America. Even if they speak English well, they are betrayed by their different accent. Similarly, Ashima and Ashoke don’t consider themselves as American because of their different accent and different looks. In addition, the accent that they have sounds off-key to their son, Gogol, when they speak English to him instead of Bengali. Furthermore, Ashima and Ashoke don’t try to become American even if there are things that they really like about the country. For instance, they speak Bengali at home instead of English; they prefer to eat Indian foods and they don’t usually practice American traditions like celebrating the birth of Christ unless it is for the sake of their children. Though Lahiri’s parents and Ashima and Ashoke have lived in America for a long time, they don’t consider America as
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