Relationships and Marriage in The Namesake PDF

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analysis of relationships in the book namesake, the importance to the narrative....

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Relationships and Marriage in The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel, The Namesake, recounts the story of Gogol Ganguli, the American-born son of Bengali immigrant parents. The book is aptly named The Namesake as the book details the character’s struggle with identity and how important names can be to someone’s sense of it. Identity is the main theme and the role of the characters’ names is obvious, but a supporting motif in the story would be love and marriage. From the relationship between Gogol and his parents to the contrast between marriages in the book the progression of the relationships in the story show Gogol’s journey with identity just as his connection to his name does. The parent-child relationship in the story is used to highlight the importance of roots to one’s identity. Gogol was born to Bengali parents and strives to connect with his American identity, but his name is neither Bengali nor American showing he is isolated in a specific way that only second-generation children can identify with. He cannot connect to his mother’s love for traditional Indian values and feels left out during Bengali get-togethers. Growing up under traditional Bengali parents in mainstream America, Gogol is caught between the influence of the two cultures. Ashima and Ashoke are separated from their children because they share the same Bengali culture that their children are disconnected from. Gogol as a young child is isolated from his parents by acting more American than them, he didn’t face the same struggles his father says to him that when he was a child he had to “eat tin” and that Gogol should be grateful for the food he receives. In chapter seven the text describes more generational differences as she addresses holiday cards, her children feel a need for independence that her age she did not have. The differences seen between the two generations are furthered by other characters such as Moushumi, in chapter eight the reader is introduced to the dynamic between another second-

generation Bengali-American and their parents. In the text, Moushumi’s parents set her up with multiple suitors who are unsatisfactory and she continues to reject them. This experience alienated her from her parents since she did not want to take their advice about whom she should marry, and since she resented them for trying to control her destiny in that way. The story follows the changing dynamics between the generations and by the end of the story Gogol has a greater appreciation for the sacrifices that they went through. He thinks about how scary it must have been for them to travel to a foreign country without the support of their families. His mother never even seeing Ashoke before making the trip must have been particularly brave. His parents forged lives for themselves and remained loyal and committed to one another despite the fact that they were in an arranged marriage. They supported each other as they lived isolated in American culture, away from their families. He regards them "with a stamina he fears he does not possess himself". The change in appreciation that Gogol had for his parents is a testament to how relationships support the theme of identity in the story, just like how his sentiment changed towards his parents, Gogol has a greater appreciation for his name and his identity roots. The novel allows the reader to examine Gogol’s romantic relationships as well as familial ones. Throughout his life and how they compare to each other and to his parent’s marriage. From the unnamed college girl that Gogol introduced himself to as Nikhil to Moushumi who he married, each relationship that Gogol has in the story represents the way that Gogol feels about his identity. For instance, his relationship with Maxine physically distances him from his parents and metaphorically distances him from his Bengali identity. The death of his father brings him back to his Bengali roots because the morning period bonds him closer to his mother. Gogol’s marriage to Moushumi furthers this notion as she is another second-generation Bengali-

American and can relate to the isolation that Gogol has felt his entire life. They were set up by their parents similar to an arranged marriage which can be linked to that of Gogol's parents. Unlike Gogol’s relationships throughout the story, his parents, Ashima and Ashoke, are one another’s sole romantic partners in life. Their marriage is based on loyalty and commitment, they were arranged to grow a family together and over time found companionship in one another. Ashima’s reluctance to say her husband’s name is a testament to her love for him and his attentive care for her while she is pregnant can be seen as the same. In Gogol’s romantic relationships, specifically his marriage to Moushumi, the love is different. Throughout the story the women that Gogol is drawn to are a reflection of his struggle with identity and his marriage to Moushumi is a rebellion against who he was trying to be before with Maxine. Because the foundations of marriage between the two couples are so different, it is no surprise that they turned out so differently. Ashoke and Ashima made and found a home in one another based on traditional Indian values and a desire to build a family. In contrast, Gogol and Moushumi searched for love independently while married and were unsatisfied in their marriage as they still felt isolated while together. The eventual infidelity can be attributed to this. The author intentionally used the contrast of these two marriages to explain the importance of self-identity. Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel, The Namesake, is a story of identity. Gogol’s struggle with his Bengali and American identity are seen throughout the story and his relationship with his name and the importance that he attributes to it shows this. In the same way that his name reflects how he vows his identity, the relationship with his parents and his romantic relationships further the theme of identity....