The Namesake Part 2 (Chapters 5-7)

Welcome back friends. After reading chapters 5-7, I believe I find Gogol to be a coward. He changes his name in this part of the novel, and becomes increasingly distant from his family. I understand that Gogol finds it difficult to identify with his name as it does not link him to any culture, but he does not even attempt to understand why he was named so. He is aware that he is named after his father’s favourite author, but does not look into any of the writings of Nikolai Gogol, or why this man was so special to his father. When Gogol tells his father he wants to change his name and he says “This is America. Do as you wish” (Lahiri 100), I can’t help but feel sad for Ashoke. Gogol’s desire to change his name from the man who saved his father's life feels like he is undermining all that Ashoke has achieved in America.

I find his behaviour to be especially distasteful, when he refuses to visit his mother and send off his father to Cleveland. He knows this will be especially difficult for his mother, who will be alone for nine months, but does nothing to comfort her about it.

Here is an article by Time magazine that shows the health concerns related to living alone.

He says that for his parents “The act of travel is never regarded casually, that even the most ordinary of journeys is seen off and greeted at either end” (Lahiri 144). I know this to be very true in the Bengali culture. Not seeing one’s guests off is seen as disrespectful, and I have had many occasions where my parents have woken me from my sleep to say bye to people I barely know. Whenever someone is leaving, we always say a parting phrase in Arabic which translates to “may God protect you always”, as you never know what may happen to that person (*cough cough, Ashoke’s death).

My favourite quote from this section of the book is about Ashima and her address book. It is said that “She prides herself on each entry in each volume, for together they form a record of all the Bengalis she and Ashoke have known over the years, all the people she has had the fortune to share rice with in a foreign land” (Lahiri 159). I find Ashima so pure, and then I become even more furious at Gogol because he is such an ungrateful nincompoop towards his parents.

When Gogol meets Maxine’s parents they ask if Calcutta is beautiful. He is surprised by the question as he is used to people asking about the poverty and heat. He says “Parts of it are beautiful. There’s a lot of lovely Victorian architecture left over from the British” (Lahiri 134). I find it interesting that Gogol’s first idea of beauty within his country to be the remnants of colonization. I think this was an effective little add-in by Lahiri to show how Gogol has truly assimilated into Western culture.

Whenever I see foreigners in Bangladesh I get really confused because I find the beauty of my country something only people from there will appreciate (I don’t know why I think so poorly of my people). My grandma’s neighbourhood had established a recycling program when I last went there and it felt like such a proud and exciting moment, but then I’d tell people this and question myself why sorting out trash was such a great feat. When I was younger people had no idea what Bangladesh was, other than it being on the tags of all their sweatshop made clothing, so I would be truly taken aback when someone would say anything positive about it, just like Gogol did when asked about Calcutta.

The land of my people.

I’m hoping Gogol gets some sense knocked into him in the remaining chapters. I believe his father’s death will serve as the catalyst for his coming to accept his name. Until next time, have a wondrous day mes amis.

Works Cited

Full House. How Rude. Digital image. Giphy. Web. 05 Oct. 2017.

Nyan Cat. AmericNyan Cat. Digital image. Giphy. Web. 5 Oct. 2017.

Worland, Justin. "Loneliness, Living Alone and Social Isolation Increase

Mortality Risk."Time. Time, 18 Mar. 2015. Web. 05 Oct. 2017.