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.
Bobby,
ReplyDeleteI feel like Gogol (or Nikhil) separates himself almost too much from his parents and the Indian culture he grew up with. It annoys me when he says his parents "embarrass him", or when he says he is disgusted by his mother chewing with her mouth open. If he's going to stray so far from the culture of his parents, he could at least respect it.
His new girlfriend Maxine is probably a breath of fresh air for him. She's the complete opposite of Gogol, but he begins to adapt to her lavish lifestyle and posh parents. At first I found her intriguing, like Gogol does, but now I find her annoying. Honestly, I hope he ends it with her soon.
Good post!
Hey Pal! Excellent post! I also find it strange that Gogol would be so ashamed of his own culture. The way I see it, you're stuck with what you got so at least don't complain about it. No matter how much he tries to act American, he is not American. He is and always be Bengali; although having different ideas is completely acceptable, he should not shun his heritage that has shaped who he is at all times. And yes,his new girlfriend seems to be quite the catch; who wouldn't want to live in a huge house free of charge? I feel that he stays there because it feels surreal and he'd rather stay in a fantasy land than face his own life, which reminds him of his heritage that embarrasses him. Well, until next time!
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