Jhumpa Lahiri Gogol Identity

In The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, the reader follows the life of Gogol Ganguli, a boy born to Bengali immigrants, and named after the Russian author Nikolai Gogol. Throughout the book, Gogol struggles with his identity, both from nomenclatural and cultural standpoints. It isn't until the end of the book, in his thirties, that Gogol finally comes to terms with his name and culture. In many ways, Gogol's struggle with identity is psychological, and it is interesting to consider how culture and psychology combine to create Gogol's quest for identity. When comparing the events of The Namesake to a paper by Celia J. Falicov on several psychological studies done on transnational families, the following hypothesis arises in regards to what exactly …show more content…
Most notable in this sense is how Ashima's growing acclimation to being a Bengali American reflects Gogol's growth in accepting himself and who he is. As Ashima grows accustomed to America, she makes concessions here and there for her American-born children, such as "[making Gogol] an American dinner once a week as a treat" (Lahiri 65). As time goes on, Ashima learns to accept the American parts of her children's lives, and they in turn tolerate her Bengali customs. As he begins to reach maturity, Gogol confronts his parents about the desire to change his name. In the early parts of the book, Gogol discovers that he operates with much more confidence and sense of self under the name of Nikhil, the name his parents attempted to give him as a good name, the Indian term for proper name. In response to his request, his father says to him, "'Then change it,... ...In America anything is possible. Do as you wish'" (Lahiri 100). Gogol's name change allows him to truly step away from his roots and go on a quest for self-realization. It leads him to become an architect, date various women, and even help a married woman have an affair. It isn't until the death of his father that he finds out that his search for identity has led him back to where he started: his family. He only learns to accept and embrace that Bengali culture he just tolerated in his childhood once he is in …show more content…
In Falicov's paper, an interesting observation in relation to this is presented. "Furthermore, as Stone and her colleagues (2005) convey, the heart may travel and settle in the new home when one's own children become psychologically attuned to the old culture and make it their own" (Falicov 399). In terms of The Namesake, this phenomenon occurs at the end of the book; Gogol and Sonia have found an appropriate balance of Bengali and American culture in their identities, and for this reason, Ashima is finally willing to accept the American half of her identity, even being wary of leaving for India, her original home. In her own words, "she is not the same Ashima who had once lived in Calcutta. She will return to India with an American passport" (Lahiri 276). Ashima, like Gogol and Sonia, has become the product of her surroundings: a transcultural blend of Bengali and American, finally willing to accept her place in life. The Gangulis have achieved what Falicov describes as an ideal for transnational families: "selective assimilation, in which both parents and children are able to retain the original language and culture to some extent and in several crucial areas of family life" (Falicov 404). Ashima selectively lets go of certain Bengali customs, such as the enforcement of arranged marriages for her children, and in turn, Gogol and his sister leave behind some