LIT 4253
Final Paper

Identity Crisis in The Namesake: How Cultural Hybridism Shapes Gogol

Cultural alienation and the resulting loss of identity is the central issue in The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. The pain of displacement reaches not only the immigrants but also their children who are incapable of belonging to the country of their birth. Alienation is felt as much by the parents as the next generation because the sense of separation is larger in proportion to the sense of affinity with their cultural roots. Ashoke and Ashima find themselves unable to adapt entirely to their adoptive country and its culture; however, their predicament is not as tragic as that of their children. They are half-lost because there is at least one place where they wholly and absolutely belong as opposed to their children, Gogol more so than Sonia, who do not belong anywhere and this makes them nowhere persons. The second-generation migrants grow up in an atmosphere of guilt, only to find themselves not belonging anywhere. Gogol, in particular, is torn between two cultures, the Indian traditions of his parents and the mainstream American culture in which he grows up. His struggle is the same one that his sister Sonia goes through, and his wife Moushumi, however, this identity crisis seems to affect him deeper than his relatives.
The novel revolves around the symbol of a name, which is the most integral part of a human identity; Gogol’s name is one of the chief causes that make him feel alienated. The difference between the naming process in Indian and American cultures pushes Ashoke and Ashima into chaos, and ultimately Ashoke names his son after a Russian author he reveres; for him, Gogol signifies new beginning and survival, it fills him with joy. However, Gogol’s name causes him distress and isolation.
Gogol, the name, has itself a lot of conflicts. To begin with, it is a name