The Namesake, chapters 1–4: Where the story of Gogol Ganguli begins...
Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake begins in 1968 with the pregnant Ashima Ganguli in her kitchen preparing her usual concoction of Rice Krispies, peanuts, red onions, salt, lemon juice, green chilli peppers, and mustard oil, reminding her of home. Ashima came to Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband Ashoke, who's completing a PhD at MIT, leaving her family behind in Calcutta, India. The Bengali couple have been living in America ever since, trying to fulfill their idea of the American Dream: to have a house on a nice lot with nice kids, a nice group of friends, and a good job.
(Source: Timmerman, Nicole. The American Dream. Digital image. Generations. N.p., 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.)
While making her snack, a complication arises, and Ashima is rushed to the hospital. Soon enough, along comes baby Gogol, and eventually his sister Sonia as well!
Now, in this foreign land, Ashima is beginning to settle into her life of being a mom, but she still feels a little despondent at times and tries her best to recreate a sense of India. She says "being a foreigner [...] is sort of a lifelong pregnancy—a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts. It is an ongoing responsibility, a parenthesis on what had once been ordinary life, only to discover that that previous life has vanished, replaced by something more complicated and demanding" (Lahiri, 49–50). She feels like an outsider in this country where corpses are buried in their best clothes; where children can be named things like Amber and Clover and the President is named Jimmy; where everyone seems to have a normal family with similar homes and similar lifestyles. Only when they visit family in India does she truly feel like herself again.
Canada is a pretty diverse place, so families can immigrate and settle in with relative ease, but back in those times, it must have been a struggle for a Bengali couple, that some may refer to as "fresh off the boat", to make a life for themselves (and in the United States, it still is today).
(Source: Kennypie. Donald Trump on Immigration. Digital image. Imgur. N.p., 17 June 2015. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.)
I can definitely relate to the whole "immigrant experience" with what I've seen in my own family; my parents both having Immigrated to Canada from India. They both came to Canada with a few bags, chasing the same American Dream (or in this case the Canadian Dream I guess...) as the Gangulis. They worked whatever jobs they could get until they finally established themselves and got the family they always wanted with me and my older brother. While I've never actually visited India myself, I've heard enough to know that life there is quite a bit different from my experience here... My parents tried to stay close to other Indian families just like the Gangulis, people they can really connect with, but they quickly embraced the Canadian lifestyle. Although, my aunts and uncles didn't, similar to Gogol and Sonia, there's been a good amount of pressure on me to learn more about my roots and practice Indian traditions.
I'm typically described as a "coconut" because I have almost no sense of my culture. Just like Gogol and Sonia, I prefer to celebrate Christmas than... well... whatever Indian traditions there are... As Lahiri describes, "During pujos, [...] Gogol and Sonia are dragged off to a high school or a Knights of Columbus hall overtaken by Bengalis, where they are required to throw marigold petals at a cardboard effigy of a goddess and eat bland vegetarian food. It can't compare to Christmas, when they hang stockings on the fireplace mantel and set out cookies and milk for Santa Claus, and receive heaps of presents, and stay home from school" (64–65).
Yeah sure, I avoided the gruelling years of Saturday school and having to learn a bunch of history about my roots, but being oblivious hasn't always been the best thing... I fit in just fine at school and with my friends, but with my extended family, I'm often a bit of an outsider. I have nothing to contribute to discussions where they're speaking about movies I haven't seen, music I don't listen to, and traditions I've never practiced; all in a language I don't understand. So Gogol and Sonia should remember that one day, they'll probably thank their parents for making them learn all this stuff, even if it seems like a waste of time now. They still may not feel totally comfortable when they visit family in India, but they're still much better off than I would be should I choose to ever go there...
(Source: Guha, Rohin. Mindy Kaling in the Mindy Project. Digital image. The Aerogram. N.p., 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.)
But still, the Ganguli family slowly become more and more westernized over time, with Ashima and Ashoke giving in to their children's desires to have American food and live an American lifestyle.
On top of the struggle to appreciate his background, Gogol experiences another conflict: his name, a problem that a lot of immigrants go through.
(Source: What Is Your Starbucks Name? Dir. BuzzFeedYellow. YouTube. N.p., 7 June 2015. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.)
Let's face it, Gogol's name is pretty odd. He has a last name for a first name and it's not connected to his culture at all. Gogol doesn't have the same connection to the Russian author that his father does, so he doesn't have any appreciation for the name. He even becomes pretty embarrassed of it when his class begins reading Nikolai Gogol's short stories.
(Source: Irrfan Khan Animated GIF. Digital image. Giphy. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.)
This may cause Gogol to feel a bit lost, constantly wondering why his parents would choose such a name. He describes how "he's come to hate questions pertaining to his name, hates having constantly to explain. He hates having to tell people that it doesn't mean anything 'in Indian.' [...] He hates that his name is both absurd and obscure, that it has nothing to do with who he is, that it is neither Indian nor American but of all things Russian" (75–76).
My name, Aanya, is derived from the Russian name Anya. But that second "a" takes it 5,000 kilometres away, from Russia to India (if you search them each on Google, you can see the HUGE difference that one letter makes just by looking at the pictures that come up). Personally, I find it interesting to have a name that's not the norm for your culture. I think it adds depth to who you are and your identity and gives you something interesting to say when people as you what your name is. Honestly, I wish my name were Anya instead (and since Anya and Aanya are pronounced the same way, I just find the second "a" incredibly redundant...).
But then again, my name is quite a bit more common than Gogol Ganguli... Today that name might be a bit easier to deal with as we live in a society where different names are accepted, if not appreciated (I mean, nowadays, people even name their kids things like Apple and Blue!). But Gogol grew up surrounded by Michaels and Davids and Roberts, so it's understandable that he would be a bit hyperconscious of his name. We all feel like an outsider sometimes, finding certain characteristics about ourselves that others don't even think twice about, yet we believe they define our entire being.
Although, maybe we should really pity people with common names!
(Source: 7 Struggles of Having a Common Name. Dir. BuzzFeedYellow. YouTube. N.p., 15 Jan. 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.)
It's easy to say that Gogol should just get over himself and come to terms with his name, I mean, it's better than being named after your mother...
(Source: Norma and Norman. Digital image. The Bates Motel Wiki. Fandom, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.)
In this case, I really would be saying:
(Source: Norman Kills Bradley as Norma. Digital image. Decider. NYP Holdings, 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.)
But, I know for a fact that I would feel exactly the same if I were in his situation. At least he's named after a respected author and not someone who's... um... less than admired... (Link: What It's Like to Be Named Donald Trump). As names can often lead to assumptions that may be untrue.​
Especially if you're this guy:
(Source:Misener, Jessica. Christian Guy. Digital image. BuzzFeed. N.p., 22 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.)
I'm sure no one would ever bother asking what religion he actually is.
Gogol needs to remember that everyone feels a little out of place at times because of a variety of things; just because they have a nice name doesn't mean they aren't mocked about other things.
(Source: How I Met Your Mother Animated GIF. Digital image. Giphy. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.)
And there are more embarrassing things than having a strange name...
(Source: Tv Animated GIF. Digital image. Giphy. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.)
BUT, if Gogol's name really bothers him all that much, he should just go ahead and change it to Nikhil, so he can forever be that brave guy who was able to kiss a girl he'd just met. Especially since "Gogol" can't really be shortened or changed into a nickname at all... I know a lot of brown people who were fed up with their names and decided to change them up a little, like a family friend going from Jasdev to just Jas and my dad going from Raju to Raj. You might be thinking that Raju isn't really a bad name, but of course, when he was younger, people found a way to make fun and called him Ragu (which is brand of tomato sauce, if you were unaware) which lead to some.. unpleasant confrontations... so yeah, I agree that sometimes it's best to just change your name. If Gogol were t change his name, it might feel a bit strange at first, but in my opinion, that feeling is a lot better than the embarrassment he feels otherwise.
So far, I'm enjoying the novel, as I find the content incredibly relatable. We all go through a sort of identity crisis in life, and I'm curious to see how Gogol will get through this period and how the Ganguli family will continue to adapt to life in America.
If you're reading this section of the book and want a snack to go with it, I have a few cupcake suggestions! If you're feeling adventurous and want to venture into new cupcake territory, maybe try lemon meringue; this amazing fusion of cupcakes and pie is just like how the Gangulis travel to a new country and Gogol's life becomes a mixture of Indian and American culture. If you love Christmas as much as Gogol and Sonia, a chocolate and candy cane cupcake might suit your tastes, too. Or, if you're feeling patriotic and want to commemorate our lives in Canada, cinnamon and maple is a good option.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to keep an eye out for my next post!