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.
Bobby,
ReplyDeleteNice post! I understand how you feel. While reading, I was also annoyed with Ashima because she wasn't that appreciative of her life in America. However, that said, I understand that maybe she is so nostalgic of her home in Calcutta because she married Ashoke at such a young age. It might not have been entirely her decision to move to America with Ashoke, but she did it to make him happy. That could explain part of Ashima's constant homesickness, because maybe she often thinks of what her life could have turned out like had she stayed in Calcutta with her family.
Bobby, I can say I was similarly irritated as I was reading the Namesake. I understand and definitely appreciate Ashima's longing for her Indian culture, and sometimes it's important to celebrate your heritage. Yet, I was bugged by how much she just sat at home and moped about home. Our roots are important, but Ashima needs to understand that it is just as important to explore and embrace different cultures. America definitely has its problems, but at the same time it offers so many opportunities that no other country can, and Ashima is yet to take advantage of that.
ReplyDeleteNice post Bobby, i have to say i feel that Ashima's homesickness is somewhat irresponsible. As i was reading the Namesake it seemed that Ashima spent way too much time worrying about her old traditions and being homesick than actually taking care of her new born. It is definitely irresponsible of her to want to go back especially when her husband is in the midst of school and supporting the family. I also agree with you about how she seems to be just hiding from change and not embracing it like she should.
ReplyDeleteBobby I totally feel the same way about Ashima's loneliness and how much Lahiri over exaggerates it. She just feels so alone the whole entire two chapters and it's kinda hard to read over and over again how much she misses her family. I also think that it definitely changes when Gogol is born because she has someone to be with all the time. I also wish that Ashoke could do more for her in their relationship but is held back by the way of their people. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI understand what you're saying Bobby. Your belief that she should be happy with having a healthy baby to take care of is realistic. I think about it like this though. Part of Ashima's culture is to have an arranged marriage and then have kids, I'm assuming not long after getting married. Now, think of her life. She was going to school, then had to stop to get married and move to the US, someplace she had never been to, and then had a baby. A baby is the parents' entire life. She had to stop doing everything she wanted, things that provided her happiness, and it's been a while since she's done those things. I agree she should be appreciative of what she's got going for her, and I believe she is, but I understand how unhappy she is and why she's unhappy. Having a baby is great... if that's what you want. You can't really tell from what is written in the book that Ashima wanted to have a kid when she did. She may have wanted to do other things first.
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