An Unexpected End and Unexpected Friend

The death of Ashoke was very surprising to me, but even more surprising was the way that Gogol responded to it. Ashoke's death begins with stomach pains that seem like they would call for a visit to the local walk in rather than the hospital. I believe that Lahiri made the illness a sudden heart attack purposely so that Gogol could not go see him in time. Even if he could go back, I do not know if Gogol would have. He loved his father, but he may have played it off. When his sister, Sonia, finally told him that his father died, he aborted all else and made the trip to have his father buried. One of the defining moments of Gogol's final break from his Bengali culture is that he did not shave his head in deference to his father. 

However much Gogol wants to leave his Bengali culture behind, it always comes back to him again in one form or another. This time, Moushumi was the one to deliver it. Gogol realizes that this is just another Bengali girl, but he is interested after a date or two. The amazing part is, because he has blocked out his culture and the parties that came with it, he did not even realize that Moushumi was the girl in the corner who only read. Looking back with his new "refined" tastes, this quiet, studious girl might have been more attractive to him. His hatred for all of the partying and yelling with food in one's mouth is not present with Moushumi. I cannot wait to see how Gogol deflects his Bengali culture after chapter eight.

Big changes for Nikhil

The Namesake has changed greatly from chapter one to where I am now, at the end of chapter six. Nikhil has changed greatly as a character as well. In his time at Yale and Columbia, he began to move even further from his parents. He decided to mostly avoid The Bengali culture that he grew up with. He hated the large dinner parties with huge families and annoying kids. Most of all, he hated how his mom made obscene amounts of food for the whole party and never catered to her guests. He is disgusted that his mom eats with her mouth open most of the time. 

Aside from disliking the Bengali culture, he in fact loved the American culture and the mixtures of European heritage and influence. He enjoys the diverse architecture that he sees in New York City and other cities outside of Boston. He might like these different designs solely because of his parent's hatred for them. Many of his decisions are for the same reason, for example him changing his name instead of leaving it as Gogol. Also the complete Americanization of his whole life, for instance his English accent and when his parents speak to him in Bengali, "he waves and drives off, pretending not to hear" (150). Even his girlfriend, Maxine, cannot believe that he is related to his parents. The interesting thing is that he is happy with that, and he is glad to be disconnected from his parents. 

Throughout chapter six, Nikhil seems to be doing pretty well. He has a girlfriend that he loves and her parents seem pretty awesome. He has been at a lake house and has had one of the best times of his life. He loves the lifestyle that the Ratliffs live, but he is harshly reminded of what awaits him at home when he encounters one of the Ratliffs neighbors who tries to ask "at what age he moved from America to India" (157). She even believes that "the climate wouldn't effect [him], given [his] heritage" (157). He is offended by her upfront nature, but keeps his cool and escapes her sharp questions. Nikhil has endured a lot of pressure, but it seems so far that he is being repaid with a new pseudo-adopted family and separation from his parents.

Ashima's Homesickness

Throughout the first chapters of The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Ashima is consistently homesick. She does not just long for her home itself, but also the culture and traditions of the Bengali people that she lived with. She often feels alone and deprived of all of the great things that she had at home. She often looks past the great parts about America and if it is more advanced, she claimed that she likes the old way. Obviously there is a lot of stress that comes with moving to a new country, but she hides from the challenges rather than embracing them. When she has her child, Gogol, she feels more alone even though the baby occupies a lot of her time.

Her husband Ashoke does everything that he can to comfort her, but he is confined by the ritual and tradition of Bengali culture. He often wishes to say something nice to her, but there is only so much that he can say. He works long hours as a teacher so that they can live in a small apartment and have food to eat. She should be grateful to have friends around her and a healthy child to take care of. I hope that she can relieve herself of this feeling of regret and homesickness for my sake as a reader. Maybe when she goes home, she will realize that she lives in a really favorable lifestyle and be appreciative of what she has.