What is the namesake About summary?
The Namesake depicts the struggles of Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli (Irrfan Khan and Tabu), first-generation immigrants from the East Indian state of West Bengal to the United States, and their American-born children Gogol (Kal Penn) and Sonia (Sahira Nair).
What is the main message of the namesake?
Gogol engages in a constant struggle to remain loyal to both worlds. Hence, the major theme portrayed in the novel is one of identity. This them is illustrated vividly by examining the importance of one’s culture and background, gender, and name as the definition of patriarchal lineage and destiny in life.
What is the setting of the story namesake?
The Namesake is set between 1968 and 2000, mostly on the Eastern Seaboard of America. Gogol grows up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and attends Yale in Connecticut. After graduating, he moves to New York City.
Is the namesake a true story?
The Namesake is not a true story. It is classified as a novel which makes it, by definition, fictional.
What happens at the end of namesake?
The story ends with Gogol, Sonia, Sonia’s fiance (Ben), Ashima and their extended Bengali family at her mother’s Christmas party. We learn that Moushumi and Gogol are divorced and Sonia is about to marry Ben. Ashima has sold the house and will soon go to Calcutta.
Why did Gogol change his name?
“Gogol” makes Gogol feel like a child. Thus Gogol changes his name, officially, not to change how the world sees him, but to help change how he sees himself. He changes his name as part of a larger process of personal transformation and growth.
Which statement best summarizes a central idea in The Namesake?
Which statement best summarizes a central idea in The Namesake? Globalization is leading people to redefine their cultural identities.
What happens at the end of The Namesake?
Why did Ashoke name his son Gogol?
Ashoke suggests the name of Gogol, in honor of the famous Russian author Nikolai Gogol, to be the baby’s pet name, and they use this name on the birth certificate. As a young man, Ashoke survived a train derailment with many fatalities.
What happens to Gogol in the end of the namesake?
Gogol Meets Gogol, Finally
At the end of the novel, though, Gogol’s not so anti-Gogol anymore. He has started to come to terms with his Indian-American identity. He doesn’t try to ignore Bengali custom, and he doesn’t envy the American ways of his ex-girlfriends.
Why did Gogol and Maxine break up?
She and Gogol break up after the death of his father, when he is pulled back toward his family and begins to feel that she is an outsider, refusing to allow her to accompany them to India for Ashoke’s funeral.
What proves that Gogol loved his name?
Finally, Ashoke reveals to his son the train accident that almost killed him, in India, that solidified Ashoke’s love for Gogol the author, and that resulted, years later, in Gogol being named for him. Gogol asks his father whether his pet-name reflects that time of anguish and pain in his father’s life.
What happened to Ashima’s grandmother?
The next day they learn that Ashima’s grandmother has had a stroke.
Why is the book called namesake?
At the end of the novel she bifurcates her life to spend time in the U.S. with her children and in India with her family of origin. The “namesake” of the title, named after his father’s favorite Russian writer, Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852).
Why did Gogol and Ruth break up?
The year after she and Gogol start dating (and become nearly inseparable), she decides to study abroad for a semester at Oxford, and then extends her stay over the summer. Although they stay together during her absence, when Ruth returns it becomes clear that something has changed between them, and they break up.
What happens at the end of the namesake?
Why is Gogol attracted to Maxine?
Gogol views his relationship with Maxine as the height of his “American-ness” so far in his life. Maxine and her parents represent what Gogol sees as the best of American culture: the interest in art and physical affection and relational openness that Gogol has never known with his own biological family.
How does Gogol change after his father’s death?
After his grandparents’ deaths, Gogol had to eat a vegetarian diet for ten days and was irritated by the restriction forced on him by his parents. Now, as he mourns his father, he finds himself understanding and appreciating the Bengali practice of avoiding meat during mourning.
Who is the protagonist of the namesake?
Gogol (Nikhil) Ganguli
Gogol (Nikhil) Ganguli
The novel’s primary protagonist. Gogol is an obedient, inquisitive, and sensitive child, close to his parents and sister. The novel tracks Gogol’s growth from child into young man.
Which statement best summarizes a central idea in the namesake?
Why are Ashima and Ashoke putting off the naming of the baby?
Ashima gives birth to a son. She and Ashoke don’t immediately name him because they are waiting for a letter from Ashima’s grandmother, in which she will divulge his name. However, they are told that in order for the child to leave the hospital, his birth certificate must have a name on it.
What are some themes in The Namesake?
The Namesake Themes
- The Indian Immigrant Experience.
- Family, Tradition, and Ritual.
- Independence, Rebellion, and Growing Up.
- Identity and Naming.
- Love and Marriage.
Why did Gogol change his name to Nikhil?
Gogol tells his parents that he is changing his name because he feels that the name Nikhil is more suitable to represent him in adult life.
What is the cause of Ashoke’s death?
The hospital official tells Ashima they have been trying to reach her directly, and that Ashoke has died in the hospital, of a heart attack.