The Namesake Symbolism

Children born in a foreign country often times wander their identity between their two origins. They are often times encouraged to follow their family’s traditions while that might look odd within their peers. They may not experience what their peers does on holidays, what they eat at home, and what language they hear the most. Their names may sound strange for local people. Jhumpa Lahiri, the writer of the novel The Namesake, is also a child of immigrants in America. In the novel, Lahiri depicts the struggle of a child of immigrants, particularly Gogol Ganguli, has throughout his life. Gogol’s perception towards his name symbolize his struggle for identifying himself surrounded by both Indian and American cultures.
As a young boy, Gogol does …show more content…
It seems Gogol follows all the conventions and customs surrounding him. He is not confused by the difference of two cultures when he is little. He accepts his name as well. When he is in the kindergarten, he rejects to be Nikhil (Lahiri 57). Instead, he signs up for the kindergarten with the name Gogol (Lahiri 59). In other words, he “doesn't mind his name (Lahiri 66).” Thus, when Gogol is little, his approval for his name signifies that he is well fit in both American and Indian cultures.
Growing up, as a teenager, Gogol starts to dislike his name. So does he start to prefer American culture over Indian and to avoid his identity as an Indian. First, he likes American life style more. He addresses “his parents in English though they continue to speak to him in Bengali. Occasionally he wanders through the house with his running sneakers on. At dinner he sometimes uses a fork (Lahiri 75).” Moreover, “he falls in love with Maxine, the house, and Gerald and Lydia’s manner of living, for to know her and love her is to know and love all of these things (Lahiri 137).” On the