Over the course of the book The Namesake by Indian author Jhumpa Lahiri, there is an evident theme of identity with the idea that a person’s name given at birth is something that that individual with carry with them throughout the entirety of their life. Their given name is something that will ultimately reflect their identity, their personality, appearance, and essentially their overall composition as a unique being. One’s name can unconsciously have an considerably great influence on the many choices that that individual will make with effects on the course of their life. In relation to Lahiri’s book The Namesake, Gogol’s internal quest for his identity is evidently tied to his inability to fully accept his name. The name Gogol was given to the protagonist of …show more content…
Ashoke did not have to look very far for the name it was chosen based on a single moment in his life that completely changed everything, the train accident. “ We all came out of Gogol’s overcoat “ ( Lahiri 78). This quote symbolizes the single idea that Gogol and his father originated from the same origins and are both interconnected in some similar way. Even though it may seem that at a point in his life, Gogol may be able to detach himself from his family and name, but only to the extent of realizing that he cannot fully escape from what he has and who he is. A pivotal transition in Gogol’s life came when he made the decision to completely change his name form Gogol to Nikhil, as a way to free himself from his family and Indian roots. “ Plenty of people change their names: actors, writers, revolutionaries, transvestites” (Lahiri 97). Gogol justified the act of changing his name in comparison to people in history who have done so the same. Gogol states “ slaves renamed themselves once they were
Jhumpa Lahiri in The Namesake illustrates the assimilation of Gogol as a second generation American immigrant, where Gogol faces the assimilation of becoming an American. Throughout the novel, Gogol has been struggling with his name. From kindergarten to college, Gogol has questioned the reason why he was called Nikhil when he was a child, to the reason why he was called Gogol when he was in college. Having a Russian name, Gogol often encounters questions from people around him, asking the reason of his name. Gogol was not given an Indian name from his Indian family or an American name from the fact that he was born in America, to emphasize that how hard an individual try to assimilate into a different culture, he is still bonded to his roots as the person he ethnically is.
The role of the Gogolian narrator is an unassuming revealer of what is hidden in the world. Revelations can be the world’s evils, morality, or a nation’s ultimate purpose. Gogol’s narrator is merely a puppet of his imagination and is kept within certain boundaries. Sometimes the narrator’s lack of transparency can make a story seem like a parable or folk tale like in “The Nose” and “Nevsky Prospect.” We can see this in what limited information the narrator is allowed to reveal to the reader and I will examine this theme in Gogol’s “Nevsky Prospect,” “The Nose,” and Dead Souls.
“For by now, he’s come to hate questions pertaining to his name, hates having constantly to explain. He hates having to tell people that it doesn’t mean anything “in Indian” (Lahiri 76). From this quote from the book Gogol is tired of his name and tired of people thinking it has something to do with being Indian, when they don’t know the real meaning of his
“Forge meaning and build identity”, Solomon speaks. This is the mantra in which Solomon explains that many have gone through struggles that let them define what they are going to do in the future. However, it should influence them they wish to be today and everyday after that. For example, in his new book “Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity”, he speaks about a single mother who had been raped and gave birth to a child following the rape, who also lost job
Gilgamesh and Enkidu both are on a quest for a better sense of self, as illustrated in The Epic of Gilgamesh. Both, however, must give up an aspect of their identity that is vital to who they are. For Gilgamesh, his attitude towards other people is the most important change that he experiences. For Enkidu, his entrance into the wilderness is his most life-shaking change. Both heroes of the story must go through radical change in order to gain a higher sense of freedom, both loosing an important part of their identities.
Identity is primarily described primarily as what makes a person who they are. While it is seen as an individual asset, one’s identity can be shaped and persuaded not only by life experiences, but by society as well. Bryan Stevenson speaks on several controversial issues and proclaims certain societal problems and the typical behaviors noticed in response to them. How one approaches the issues that are spoken about may expose their true identity. Stevenson argues that how one reacts to racial inequality within the criminal justice system may regulate their identity. In addition to that, how dealing with the nation’s history may force a growth on one’s identity, eventually bringing peace and acceptance to the nation. Lastly, how one views the
Gogol is not completely cut off from his roots and identity. He tries to reject his past, but it makes him stranger to himself. He fears to be discovered. With the rejection of Gogol’s name, Lahiri rejects the immigrant identity maintained by his parents. But this outward change fails to give him inner satisfaction.
[… The] only person who didn’t take Gogol seriously… who tormented him, the only person chronically aware of and afflicted by the embarrassment of his name, the only person who constantly questioned it and wished it were otherwise, was Gogol. (99-100)
Over the course of the novel, The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri, Gogol is constantly moving, and by the time he is in his late twenties, he has already lived in five different homes, while his mother, Ashima has lived in only five houses her entire life. Each time Gogol moves, he travels farther away from his childhood home on Pemberton Road, symbolizing his search for identity and his desire to further himself from his family and Bengali culture. Alternatively, Ashima’s change of homes happens in order to become closer to family, representing her kinship with Bengali culture. Ashima has always had difficulty with doing things on her own, but by the end of the story she ultimately decides to travel around both India and the States without a real home as a result of the evolution of her independence and the breaking of her boundaries; in contrast, Gogol finally realizes that he has always stayed close to home, despite his yearning for escape, and settles into his newly discovered identity - the one that he possessed all along.
All throughout his whole life, there was always this nag in himself as in who he was and where he came from. Finding your identity is very important, as well as having your perspective of life change. Life is a never ending cycle of change, whether it be in society or yourself. Being lost is very horrifying, and it is very important to find yourself. Happiness is the key to the world today. Everyone is trying to find themselves in order to be happy. You should always overcome obstacles until you find your happiness, most importantly your identity, and you should always accept change whether it be in something small, like your routine or something big, as in how your view of life
“Choosing My Name” by Puanani Burgress is a poem that reflects Burgess idea of her identity and how it is related with her different names. Despite having three different names Chirstabella , Yoshie and Puanani, she particularly likes identifying herself as Puanani although it is not her “official name”. Strange as it sounds, I aslo have three different names: Basanta, Kancho, Xxxxxx. My third name Xxxxxx is my cultural name that I cannot disclose thus I have decided to write it Xxxxxx as it is made up of six letters. Xxxxxx is my favorite and preferred name because it connects me to my family, my culture and my land.
One’s identity is influenced by many things. It’s something that one has a choice of what he wants to become. One has a personal choice as to what identity he possesses; for instance, he can choose what he likes, who he wishes to be friends with, and what he wears. After all, “Fashion is an expression of personal identity” (Latterell 11). Queen Latifah states, “All things start inside your soul and work outward” meaning that it is one’s choice as to what he lets work its way out (Latifah 34). People have even made personal choices that affect their identity by changing their name. Just as Firoozeh Dumas describes in The “F Word”, “Thus I started sixth grade with my new, easy name and life became infinitely simpler” (Dumas 86). People made fun of Dumas’ name, Firoozeh, and thus made her want to change her name to fit in; she changed her identity. An identity is mainly comprised of personal choice.
Before the coming of Enkidu, Gilgamesh was a man of great power. A being for which there was no equal match, Gilgamesh boasted about his overwhelming glory and power. However, his arrogance was accompanied with an extensive abuse of power, which pushed the city of Uruk into a state of rage. Still Gilgamesh felt no despair; he lived to display to others his majestic power. The first sign of a sincere change in Gilgamesh arises as a result of the birth of Enkidu. From the beginning, a powerful link developed between man and woman. The wise Ninsun said to Gilgamesh,"You will love him as a woman and he will never forsake you". Gilgamesh had finally met his match, a friend that would serve as his life-long companion. Upon the seal of this great friendship, Gilgamesh began to change his selfish ways. Nevertheless, he shared with Enkidu the luxuries of kindness. Setting aside his great pride and power, Gilgamesh had opened a place in his heart, and in his sumptuous life, for his beloved brother.
Zora Neal Hurston’s book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, reveals one of life’s most relevant purposes that stretches across cultures and relates to every aspect of enlightenment. The novel examines the life of the strong-willed Janie Crawford, as she goes down the path of self-discovery by way of her past relationships. Ideas regarding the path of liberation date all the way back to the teachings of Siddhartha. Yet, its concept is still recycled in the twenty-first century, as it inspires all humanity to look beyond the “horizon,” as Janie explains. Self-identification, or self-fulfillment, is a theme that persists throughout the book, remaining a quest for Janie Crawford to discover, from the time she begins to tell the story to her best friend, Pheoby Watson. Hurston makes a point at the beginning of the novel to separate the male and female identities from one another. This is important for the reader to note. The theme for identity, as it relates to Janie, carefully unfolds as the story goes on to expand the depths of the female interior.
Search of identity in, the “Namesake”. In an interview, Lahiri acknowledged the influence of Nikolai Gogol’s ‘The Overcoat’: ‘The Overcoat’ is such a superb story. It really does haunt me the way it haunts the character of Ashoke in the novel… Of course, without the inspiration of Nikolai Gogo...