The Components of Identity in The Namesake by Lahiri
analytical Essay
1537 words
All around the world people struggle with a sense of self-individualization, which is the internal battle each person has to face in order to discover ones true identity. The quest to find oneself is a difficult and lengthy endevor that can take a lifetime to accomplish. Some if not most people never reach a point where they can truly face who they truly are. In the Novel The Namesake by Lahiri, identity is illustrated by intensely examining the importance of ones background, name and culture. The main characters in the story try to uncover the reasoning behind their lineage, which they belive will lead to discovering the answer destiny in life. Playing on this belief the Ganguli’s sustain the element of traditions with them and practices upon migrating to the United States. The decisions that the family makes ultimatly leads a situation in which their son finds it tough to integrate himself in society resulting in him to not be able to grasp onto his own identity. “He hates his name . . . that is has nothing to do with who he is, that it is neither Indian nor American but of all things Russian” (Lahiri 76). His self hatred based on something as uncontrollable as his name incumbers his search for identity.
The Namesake is populated by characters who's shows signs of themselves being lost when it comes to purpose and destiny. Many characters struggle because most of the characters feel the tug and pull of different cultures, dreams, and traditions.
At the beginning of Chapter 1 the theme of identity and one’s name is introduced. The names of Gogol’s parents: Ashima (“she who is limitless, without borders”) and Ashoke (“he who transcends grief”) were chosen with care according to Hindi customs. Their names drive their lives in a...
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...ationship that they have will be accepted and will make both of their Bengali parents happy. As a couple they are shocked to notice together and as individuals that they pleased their parents however they never though they would do it in this exact way. They discover that it is very surprising yet comforting to them. (Moushumi more detail, about her backround)
Each character faces a choice of whether they should integrate themselves into American society. The choice leads them to consider how much they should compromise and if making certain consessions would betray the roots they came from. The Characters wrestle with these questions concerning their affiliations with their names, their relationships and their choices about the present and the future. By embracing the positive sides of both of his names Gogol finally embraces the two opposing sides of himself.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how lahiri's novel, the namesake, examines the importance of background, name, and culture.
- Analyzes how the themes of name and identity are evident in chapter 3.
- Analyzes how the names of gogol's parents, ashima and ashoke, are chosen with care according to hindi customs. the bengali tradition of pet names and bhalonam is explained.
- Analyzes how nikolai gogol's name is a representation of his being bound to the backward bengali heritage of which he longs to break.
Related
- analytical
- Gogol's Identity In The Book Namesake By Jhumpa Lahirianalytical essayGogol basically grows up his whole life not feeling comfortable with his identity and who he is. Gogol doesn't feel like he belongs in his parents Bengali family, and he somewhat feels like he is living in between cultures sometimes. Growing up in America has made him feel like an outsider because his parents were always doing things in their culture. Throughout the book Gogol makes great efforts to find out who he really is and he does that by moving away from home. Gogol’s definition of home changes whether it's by getting a new girlfriend or moving to a new place he's not familiar with.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how gogol grows up not feeling comfortable with his identity and who he is. growing up in america made him feel like an outsider because his parents were always doing things in their culture.
- Analyzes how gogol hates having to explain his name to people. he questions his identity throughout the book trying to figure out who he really is.
- Analyzes how gogol leaves massachusetts to go to connecticut, and even ends up going to yale. he changes his name to nikhil and moves to new york with a girl named maxine.
- Analyzes how gogol meets a girl named moushumi and ends up marrying, but their parents insist on inviting close to three hundred people, serving indian food, and providing easy parking for all the guest.
- Analyzes how gogol felt as an outsider his whole life. he grew up around two cultures, one being his parents and the other being an american one.
743 wordsRead More - Thomson Highway's The Rez Sistersanalytical essayIdentity is 'how you view yourself and your life.'; (p. 12 Knots in a String.) Your identity helps you determine where you think you fit in, in your life. It is 'a rich complexity of images, ideas and associations.';(p. 12 Knots in a String.) It is given that as we go through our lives and encounter different experiences our identity of yourselves and where we belong may change. As this happens we may gain or relinquish new values and from this identity and image our influenced. 'A bad self-image and low self-esteem may form part of identity?but often the cause is not a loss of identity itself so much as a loss of belonging.'; Social psychologists suggest that identity is closely related to our culture. Native people today have been faced with this challenge against their identity as they are increasingly faced with a non-native society. I will prove that the play The Rez Sisters showed this loss of identity and loss of belonging. When a native person leaves the reservation to go and start a new life in a city they are forced to adapt to a lifestyle they are not accustomed to. They do not feel as though they fit in or belong to any particular culture. They are faced with extreme racism and stereotypes from other people in the nonreservational society.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that thomson highway's play the rez sisters is based on contemporary social problems facing native canadians today, such as alcohol and drug abuse, suicide, wife battering, family violence, racism, and environmental issues.
- Explains that identity is 'how you view yourself and your life.' it's a rich complexity of images, ideas, and associations. native people are faced with extreme racism and stereotypes in non-native society.
- Analyzes how the rez sisters won the dora mavor moore award for the best play in 1986-87 and later went on to earn extravagant praise at the edinburgh festival.
- Analyzes how the play involves seven lively and funny women who live on the wasaychigan hill indian reserve, manitoulin island, ontario.
- Analyzes how the rez sisters make life bearable on the reserve by playing bingo. the play gives the reader in sight to what each of the women want.
- Analyzes how nanabush, a north american indian mythology creature follows them on their travels. he disguises himself as the seagull, the nighthawk, and finally the bingo master himself.
- Analyzes how at the end of the play we learn no one has one the bingo and marie-adele as passed on to the spirit world escorted by nanabush
- Opines that tomson highway gave the reader an idea of what reserve life is about and gave us the opportunity to experience the hardships of native people.
- Opines that nanabush had a great deal to do with the women keeping their current identities and since of belonging.
- Opines that we all need to belong somewhere and feel comfort in our lives. we must end racism and stereotyping before we can live in one society.
1309 wordsRead More - Identity is an important theme in many stories. Especially in the The Outsiders, Eleanor and Park, and“Flowers for Algernon.” In The Outsiders identity is tied heavily to which gang a person belongs to. In the novel, Eleanor and Park, identity is portrayed through gender and race. Also, in the short story, “Flowers for Algernon,” the main character identifies with his level of intelligence. Although, one common trend expressed is how jubilance is felt when the characters are free of how they are told they should identify. I will be analysing identity in these stories is represented through the characters, and how this proves how easily the characters find identify in themselves when they detach how they are to identify by society.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the importance of identity in stories such as the outsiders, eleanor and park, and "flowers for algernon."
- Analyzes how characters are told to identify with what gang they are in in the outsiders. darry is smart and is not tough like a stereotypical greaser, while ponyboy is lugubrious.
- Analyzes how eleanor and park shows the joy associated with disregarding how society tells a character to identify.
- Analyzes how in "flowers for algernon," many characters identify with their level of intelligence. charlie was put down for most of his life for not being intelligent.
- Analyzes how identity is important in stories, but how characters identify can't be placed on them by society. in the outsiders, eleanor and park, and "flowers for algernon", identity can be defined by gender and race.
747 wordsRead More - De Niroanalytical essayAn identity is a role played by each individual expressed with new customs and a different lifestyle based on self-decisions. People tend to create different characters depending on the situation they are facing. Some individuals are secure with their own identity while others are unsure and change their identity to fit in. In the novels “The in between World of Vikram Lall” and “De Niro’s Game” the protagonists of each respective novel is faced with the tough challenge of identifying themselves and their masculinity during their youth because of the various circumstances and obstacles they face. In the novel “De Niro’s Game”, Bassam is a young fatherless man who is aggressive and silent. He and George are bored, adventurous, and trying to find unique identities for themselves amid the chaos of the civil war in Beirut. As they encounter life through the war, it becomes increasingly clear that Bassam is struggling to negotiate his identity. Similarly in “The in between World of Vikram Lall” Vikram is a curious young boy who belongs to a middle class immigrant family in Kenya during the fight for independence who is trying to develop an image for himself as a minority Indian boy in a time of civil unrest and mass murder. As the plot progresses it becomes very evident that Vikram begins to balance himself between politics and family as he tries to figure himself out as a man. The elements of trauma, masculinity and isolation are required to analyze Vikram and Bassam as characters who use masculinity to isolate themselves in order for them to negotiate their existence through the trauma of experiencing civil unrest and violence.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the elements of trauma, masculinity, and isolation are required to analyze vikram and bassam as characters negotiating their existence through civil unrest and violence.
- Analyzes how vikram lall's trauma as a young child leads him to deceit, corruption, and money laundering.
- Analyzes how bassam lives both trauma in the present and the experience of trauma symptoms in retrospect, as his condition progressed along with the lebanese civil war.
- Analyzes how vikram lall was embroiled in the events leading to his english friends' massacre by the mau mau, which reverberated throughout his life and relationships with his closer circle.
- Analyzes how the lack of communication for bassam is linked to the breakdown of social structures that would have been a support system.
- Analyzes how the narrator, bassam, is reluctant to tell his own story and reticent in his dealings with other characters of the novel.
- Analyzes how vikram lall's love for and loyalty to his country was undeniable, and he was enthusiastic about protecting the asian community sorely threatened by the africanisation policy of the government.
- Narrates how vikram lall's useful, but dangerous knowledge had been used by others, whether they were african politicians or indian businessmen.
- Analyzes how bassam idealizes his position as an outlaw in the context of masculinity.
- Analyzes how bassam's gun is an interesting tool of violence. it is a strategy to resist marginalization.
- Analyzes how de niro's game narrates the way a young man can create his identity within the context of the civil war, showing how trauma and masculinity both have silencing and explosive effects.
2886 wordsRead More - Identity in Hurtson’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Kingston’s Woman Warrior, and Spiegelman’s Mausanalytical essayDespite being a very diverse literature genre in terms of influence and inspiration, North American literature encompasses many works that share some very common thematic elements. Though there are several themes shared, one in particular can be found in most any work – the importance of identity. Particularly in some selected pieces yet to be named, identity is a very important element, not only because it is a necessity for a main character in any work of literature, but because these works express ideas about identity as being very individualistic – as opposed to being a mere result of cultural surroundings. Zora Neal Hurtson’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Maxine Hong Kingston’s Woman Warrior, and Art Spiegelman’s Maus; these three works illustrate identity in this manner – a development of self, influenced yet not controlled by elements of relevant cultures.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that north american literature encompasses many works that share common themes, such as the importance of identity.
- Analyzes how hurtson's tale tells the story of janie crawford, a middle-aged black woman who seeks to celebrate her individual identity.
- Analyzes how jody's search for her identity culminates in her marrying a young man named tea cake, who allows her to celebrate her independence with him.
- Analyzes how kingston's woman warrior illustrates the struggle and the melding of cultural principles that she wants women to aspire for.
- Analyzes how art spiegelman's maus tells the story of his jewish father’s experiences against nazi germany in europe during world war ii.
- Analyzes how these stories progress individual identities sought by their protagonists. they show a desire to go against cultural backdrops that dictate their identities to be something they don't want.
1253 wordsRead More - Gogol's True Identity in The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahirianalytical essaySometimes religion can be a necessity for comfort. Over time, we may already possess our very own identities and then develop different ones after a tragedy. In order to easily move on from a plight, some sort of comfort or security is needed, whether its time, family, friends, a sport, or religion. In the novel, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, one can clearly see the viewpoint of how Gogol’s life over time has evolved from American to Bengali. With the comfort of his Bengali life he’s able to push through the tragedy of his father’s death. However, apart from when Gogol needs his family and culture for comfort, he is simply a true American.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how in the novel, the namesake by jhumpa lahiri, one can clearly see how gogol's life over time has evolved from american to bengali.
- Analyzes how gogol is more american than bengali in the beginning of the book.
- Analyzes how gogol's relationship with maxine is kept covert from his parents for a while.
- Analyzes how gogol realizes he needs his family and bengali life more than expected. after his father dies, explains how tragedy can change our identities in a heartbeat.
- Analyzes how gogol becomes more compelled to his bengali life and his family, gradually slipping away from the american identity that was once present to him.
647 wordsRead More - The Overcoat and The Namesake Comparisonanalytical essayIn the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri mentions a short story named “The Overcoat” written by Nikolai Gogol numerous times. This “mentioning” is also known as an “allusion.” The Namesake is about the Ganguli family and their transformation to an American family. Gogol Ganguli is the character that is closely related to “The Overcoat” which is about the life and also the death of a man by the name Akakiy Akakievitch. Besides the fact that is is named in The Namesake, “The Overcoat” can be related to the novel. Through the themes and the what happen with the characters can be seen as paralleled with these two texts.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how jhumpa lahiri's novel the namesake mentions a short story named "the overcoat" written by nikolai gogol numerous times. the themes and what happen with the characters can be seen as parallel with these two texts.
- Explains that both akakiy and gogol are born without a name. the mothers struggle to think of what to name their child.
- Analyzes how the characters in both stories are reluctant to change their identities. in the namesake, gogol changes his name to nikhil ganguli, and akakiy gets a new coat.
- Analyzes how akakiy dies in "the overcoat" while the namesake gogol is figuratively dead when he gets his coat stolen.
- Analyzes how the themes and characters in "the overcoat" are parallel to each other. akakiy acts about his coat and his new coat is similar to gogol's.
610 wordsRead More - Flannery O'Connor's Use of Religious Allegoryanalytical essayAt the outset, an insightful reader needs to draft the general boundaries of allegory and symbolism in the story. To put it most simple, the problem of distinguishing between good and evil undergoes a discussion. It is not difficult to notice that the Grandmother stands for good and the Misfit for evil. But such a division would be a sweeping and superficial generalisation, for both the characters epitomize good and evil traits. Moral evaluation is a very complex process and it is not the human who is to decide on that. There are rather various degrees of goodness and evil, both interwoven, also in their religiousness. Th...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how flannery o'connor astonishes and puzzles readers of her most frequently compiled work, a good man is hard to find.
- Analyzes how the grandmother is a devoted christian, but her spirituousness results from blind ostentation rather than true devotion.
- Analyzes how o'connor's attempt is to present, by means of religious motifs, how superficial the faith of southerners is.
- Analyzes how mr. misfit plays a crucial role in the heroine's quest for spiritual revelation and the pursuit of salvation.
- Analyzes how the villain compares himself to jesus, and the grandmother assumes the role of the disciple. jesus would endow the world with unconstrained goodness and respond to evil by means of good.
- Analyzes how the misfit becomes tempted, the chaste one, with the grandmother in a clearly "satanic" light.
- Analyzes how the misfit is aware that there cannot be partial belief or disbelief. the real way for a christian is to appreciate the greatness of god and pursue the life which would grant eternal grace.
- Analyzes o'connor's story as a point of reference for those who, like the grandmother, have gone astray from the real faith.
- Analyzes o'connor's concern for the spiritual mentality of contemporary americans who have forgotten their early puritan ethos.
- Analyzes how o'connor's short story conveys universal truths through straightforward or violent situations when handled with more care. she wished her message to appeal to readers who, if careful, will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to florida.
- Explains o'connor, flannery, a good man is hard to find, rutgers university press, 1993.
2386 wordsRead More - Lanval and Sir Gawain and The Green Knightanalytical essayworks of literature have tremendous amounts of similarity especially in the characters. Each character is usually unique and symbolizes the quality of a person in the real world. But in both stories, each character was alike, they represented honor, loyalty, chivalry, strength and wisdom. Each character is faced with a difficult decision as well as a journey in which they have to determine how to save their own lives. Both these pieces of literatures are exquisite and extremely interesting in their own ways.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how marie de france's lanval and sir gawain and the green knight have enchanting characteristics that define them as a masterpiece of their era and that’s why they both are easily compared and contrasted.
- Analyzes how the themes characterize the main idea or conflicts that occur within a storyline. both outstanding pieces of work have similar themes, such as nature v. humanity, man
- Analyzes how the theme of nature v. humanity is demonstrated through the characters of sir gawain and the green knight.
- Asks sir gawain to forget to go as agreed, and cease not to seek till i find, as you promised in the presence of these proud knights.
- Explains that nature is more dominant in every situation but it's hard to tell if humanity will ever overpower it. the style of writing is crucial and key.
- Compares de france's lanval with the standard french narratives. both stories have parallel ideologies such as the queen being infatuated with a knight and loyalty (chivalry).
- Compares how king arthur is portrayed as a young man who just took over the throne and is still in the process of gaining respect from his knights.
- Compares the language used in lanval and sir gawain and the green knight. both writings have a cultured language that represents that particular era.
- Analyzes how the level of diction differs in each piece of literature, but in the case of sir gawain and the green knight, it is more colloquial, audacious, benevolent, didactic and at times pretty satirical.
- Explains that although both writings are interesting in their own ways, they both have a similar plot and theme. it is rare that two works of literature have tremendous amounts of similarity especially in the characters.
1161 wordsRead More - The Chosen by Chaim Potokanalytical essayBy developing a relationship between two people who come from completely distinct worlds, Chaim Potok was able to instigate and investigate a profound and deeply moving story of true friendship and the importance of father-son interconnection through self-realization in the work of The Chosen by explicitly introducing a series of challenges that question the morality and judgment of each protagonist. Through his masterpiece and by inserting complex situations, Chaim Potok took to his benefit to display the comparison between his characters and normal people their similarities and differences.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that when a trout rising to the fly gets hooked on the line and finds himself unable to swim freely, he begins with struggles and splashes and sometimes an escape.
- Analyzes how chaim potok instigated and investigated a profound and deeply moving story of true friendship and the importance of father-son interconnection through self-realization in the work of the chosen.
- Analyzes how chaim potok attempted various endeavors in order to express the emphasis on developing his central characters, reuven malter and danny saunders.
- Analyzes how chaim potok developed reuven and danny's relationship at a softball game where danny confesses that he wanted to kill him during that game.
- Analyzes how chaim potok challenged the two friends' connection when reuven informs reb saunders about danny's secular study in the library.
- Analyzes how chaim potok captured the harsh reality of relationship and the immense effort required to overcome it.
- Cites amiel, barbara, bryfonski, dedria, and laurie lanzen harris in contemporary literary criticism.
- Explains that elibrary. proquest csa. ballard high school. 29 jan. 2008. wysocki, barbara.
1368 wordsRead More