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  • Essay / Gogol's search for greater understanding in The Namesake

    Jhumpa Lahiri eloquently points out in his novel, The Namesake, “For his [Gogol's] father was right; the only person who didn't take Gogol seriously, the only person who tormented him, the only person chronically self-conscious and afflicted by the embarrassment of his name, the only person who constantly questioned him and wished it were different , was Gogol. 100). In this excerpt, the reader explores the implications, consequences, and more of legal name change. Gogol Ganguli wants to change his name to his real, or legal, name, Nikhil, although he is already eighteen years old. His father questions his motives by asking who didn't take his son seriously because of his name alone. Gogol, about to embark on a new life at university, wishes to shed the name he hates and attempt to forge a new identity, over which he has complete control. This sentence from the novel manifests the protagonist's search for identity and self-understanding through his name, his culture and his society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Gogol always hated his name. He never understood why he and an American-born Bengali were given the last name of a Russian author. In Bengali tradition, a pet name means nothing; a good name has meaning for the world. A good name describes the person to everyone they meet. Her mother's name, Ashima, means she without borders. Her sister's name, Sonali, means "she who is golden." These names allow others to know and interpret the person standing before them. Gogol, on the other hand, is a colloquial nickname, meaningless as far as Gogol can see. It doesn't mean anything, it doesn't come from any tradition or culture, and it's just the name of a deceased author that Gogol's father adored. A name in this sense can identify a person, and according to Gogol, his name is silly and meaningless, two attributes with which he does not want to identify. Gogol eventually understands the reasoning behind his seemingly thoughtless and meaningless pet. name. Knowing the story of his father's lucky escape from death brings a new appreciation for his father, an appreciation for his birth name. Even so, knowing that his name marks the reason his father and therefore he exists does not resolve the question of identity. Gogol remains lost in a world full of confident, self-assured Americans who know who they are, where they come from, and where they are going. Gogol is constantly searching for his identity. He likes the passage that says he “constantly questioned it.” He questions his parents' lives, his culture, his heritage and his role in American society. For most of the novel, Gogol spends his time searching for an American identity, rejecting his family's heritage and the confusion of names. they give. Gogol wants nothing to do with people who remain unchanging, foreign and primitive while the world he is immersed in at school and with his friends is full of interesting new ideas and experiences. Here, experimentation, love, excitement, indulgence and risk fill the gaping holes in Gogol's unknown identity. He continually seeks himself in others as he moves from one love to another. His relationships with women, as well as his exploration of different American lifestyles, demonstrate his constant questioning of identity. Throughout this journey of lifestyles, there is one that he continually tries to reject. He rejects his parents' Indian-American lifestyle, or at least he does..