The Namesake
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For the film of the same name, see The Namesake (film)
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| Cover of The Namesake | |
| Author | Jhumpa Lahiri |
|---|---|
| Cover Artist | Philippe Lardy |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Contemporary Fiction |
| Publisher | Mariner Books |
| Released | September 1, 2004 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) and audio-CD |
| Pages | 291 (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-618-48522-8 (paperback edition) |
The Namesake (2003) is the first novel by author Jhumpa Lahiri. It explores much of the same emotional and cultural territory as her Pulitzer Prize winning short story collection Interpreter of Maladies. Moving between events in Calcutta and Boston, the novel examines the nuances involved with being caught between two conflicting cultures (each with highly distinct religious, social, and ideological differences).
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[edit] Characters
[edit] The Gangulis
- Ashoke Ganguli: Gogol's father who experiences a near death experience while he is a young man. Prior to embarking for the United States in the 1960s, he is involved in a devastating train accident; he survives only by holding up the tattered remains of a short-story collection by Russian author Nikolai Gogol.
- Ashima Ganguli: Gogol's mother who is initially plagued by insecurities involved with moving to America. Unlike Ashoke, Ashima finds that she cannot acculturate into American society.
- Nikhil "Gogol" Ganguli: their son who is born and grows up in the United States. He is tormented by an identity crises which stems in part from a mistake which is made when his family pet name, Gogol, (having two names is a common practice in Bengali families) becomes mistaken for his real name.
- Sonali Ganguli: Gogol's younger sister. Ashoke and Ashima specifically gave her only one name which would serve as both an official and pet name, in order to avoid the confusion which arose with giving Gogol two names but pet names are hard to avoid, especially in Bengali families thus Sonali's name ends up being Sonia.
[edit] Gogol's love interests
- Ruth: Gogol's college sweetheart. She is a caucasian woman to whom Gogol is deeply attached. They soon separate after Ruth spends both spring and summer terms in England studying literature.
- Maxine: Gogol's first real love. Maxine is a caucasian woman and a member of a liberal and very wealthy Manhattanite family. While the two love each other, the differences in background and culture inevitably become a factor in their breakup.
- Moushumi: Gogol's wife. She is a childhood friend from another Bengali family. After his breakup with Maxine, Gogol decides to explore romantic possibilities with Moushumi due to their shared culture and background. Although she grew up in England, Gogol and Moushumi share a great deal in common and eventually marry. Their marriage, however, becomes troubled when they realize that a shared culture is not enough for them to find happiness together and Moushumi has an affair with an old love interest.
[edit] Plot summary
The Namesake describes the struggles between first generation Bengali immigrants to the United States, and their children, particularly their son, Gogol.
The story begins as Ashoke and Ashima leave Calcutta, India and settle in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Through a series of errors, their son's nickname, Gogol, becomes his official birth name, an event which will shape many aspects of his life.
[edit] Film
- The film, The Namesake, will be released in the United States and the United Kingdom in March 2007. It is directed by Mira Nair and is based upon a screenplay adapted from the novel by Sooni Taraporevala.
[edit] See also
- ABCD, a term Gogol encounters in the book that applies to himself
[edit] External links
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