Significant Events In Gogol's Life

For starters, Ashoke and Gogol were different because they didn’t really have the same culture even though both of them are Indian. Ashoke was born and raised in India, unlike Gogol who was born and raised in America. Ashoke felt as if he was living in a foreign land because even though he had lived in America for many years, it was not a part of his culture. When they move back to Calcutta for eight months Ashoke felt alive and he felt like he could enjoy life because he wasn’t being judged by others. On the other hand, Gogol was born and raised in America and he had adopted the American culture. Gogol hated leaving The United States to move to Calcutta for eight months. In addition, he felt like an outsider because even though he was Indian he had never been around that culture so he didn’t really see the Indian culture as being a part of him. Gogol was more American than he was Indian, because he had been raised in America rather than India.

Ashoke teaches Gogol how to eat cultural food with his hands and speak Bengali. He also shows Gogol what it was like to live in India. One example of this is soon after Ashima learns she is pregnant with Sonia, Ashoke and Gogol are eating dinner together. Acting as a typical five year old, Gogol does not desire to finish his food and instead begins playing with it. “Ashoke shakes his head at Gogol, disapproving, unyielding. Each day Ashoke is pained by the half eaten sandwiches people toss into garbage cans on campus, apples abandoned after one or two bites. ‘Finish it, Gogol. At your age I ate tin.”(Lahin, 55). This exchange teaches Gogol about the poverty his relatives face in India. Ashoke also brings his family on frequent trips to Calcutta to visit their extended family. These trips show Gogol a different culture then the one he is used to. Gogol lives in a very in-between state, he does not consider himself completely Indian, nor does he consider himself a true American. This conflict, caused in part by his father, causes Gogol many grievances throughout his

. The relationship between Moushumi and Gogol is driven by Moushumi’s desire which is greater even than Gogol’s own, to confirm to a certain image of a modern American. She and Gogol never seem to relax into the idea that they might find their identity in one another and visit to dinner parties with her friends in Brooklyn where Gogol feels awkward and uncomfortable. And this signal a division between them. Moushomi’s dissatisfaction with the marriage eventually leads to her unfaithfulness towards her husband which later leads to divorce and separation between them. Their need of independence and satisfaction is much greater than their sense of loyalty or commitment to each other and find their identity.

During the transition of literature from romantic to realist, 19th century writers would often observe and remark on the ideas of social status and vocational rank.

After his divorce, which is a second difficult experience in his life, Gogol spends time with his family, specifically at a party his mother is hosting before she leaves for India, which again influences him to accept his Bengali culture. At this party, Gogol explores his old house and finds the copy of The Overcoat that his father once gave to him, which makes him realize that “without people in the world to call him Gogol, no matter how long he himself lives, Gogol Ganguli will, once and for all, vanish from the lips of loved ones, and so, cease to exist” (Lahiri 433). In college and when he was Maxine, going by Nikhil gives Gogol a newfound perspective in his life, one where being shameful of his name does not really exist. However, after going through both his father’s death and his divorce, Gogol feels upset when thinking about how he changed his name, which “provides no solace at all” (433). With most of his family and Moushumi gone, few people are left to call him Gogol, reminding him who he once was. Gogol’s sadness shows how he has become comfortable with his birth name, which he originally hated. Through his reading of The Overcoat and his reflection on the possible nonexistence of his life as Gogol, Gogol accepts both his name and his culture, which ultimately shows how he becomes comfortable with

Gogol Ganguli, in The Namesake, is the son of two Bengali parents. Throughout the novel, Gogol shows several acts of betrayal mainly to his family and their values. One such act is when Gogol changes his name out of irritation. He is constantly questioned its meaning and finding it out that it is not a Bengali name. He expresses his feelings to his parents, but they do not understand because they still have the Indian tradition/Culture in them and so he changes his name. Another act of betrayal is when Gogol lies to his mother about visiting their home when dating a woman. He does not prefer the Bengali way of life and makes excuses, he loves the life of the American way. These acts of betrayal affect Gogol and force him to make decisions that he eventually regrets, but it does play a vital role in the development of his life in the novel as a whole.

In the novel, “ The Namesake ” by Jhumpa Lahiri, on pages 183-227 she talks about how Gogol’s life changed after his father’s death. He was still living in New York but his relationship with Maxine has ended. Ashima called him about her friend’s daughter, Moushumi. Gogol was not interesting because he knew that his mother was trying to marry him with Moushumi. Gogol was trying to focus on his exam in architecture. However, his mother was pressuring him about Moushumi so he decided to meet his mother friend's daughter. On the first meeting, Gogol was astonished to find himself attracted to Moushmi and he wanted to spend more time with her. After that meeting, Gogol began to remember all the time he met Moushumi at family reunions. When they

The death of a parent is always traumatic. Losing a loved one is not easy for anyone and grieving the death of a loved one is even worse. It has an effect on the person who deals with the graving such as mentally. In the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Gogol is one of the characters, who is Indian-American. Gogol has a sister named Sonia. Recently, Gogol lost his father unexpectedly and now he is totally different from what he was before. Ashoke’s death has positive and negative effects on Gogol, namely, he is close to his family more than he was before, he started to accept his culture, and the negative effect is Gogol is going to continue life with the absent of his father.

In India, children are given two names: your good name and your pet name. While in Calcutta, where his father, Ashoke, and mother, Ashima, could have waited years to decide on an official name, in America they only had days. They waited in the hospital for a letter from Ashima’s grandmother containing a name but eventually they were forced to chose one. As Gogol got older he began to realize that his name was different and made him stand out. He began to hate his name and himself as well. His name was supposed to be more than just a title for him, it was supposed to be who he was. When he became interested in girls, he decided that Gogol was not an acceptable name so he began introducing himself as Nikhil, the name his parents intended people outside of the family to call him. This is the beginning of Gogol exploring and

Gogol Ganguli, the main character of The Namesake is a boy stuck in between two worlds. Born in America but is the son of two Bengali parents, he does not know which culture to associate himself with. But as the novel progresses, Gogol starts to portray acts of betrayal not only to his family but also to his heritage and values which his parents hold so dear. One case is when Gogol changes his name just because he had greatly disliked it and he felt that it had caused him great torment. He occasionally questions the meaning of his name only to find out that it is not a Bengali name but a Russian name.

After finishing reading the book and seeing that Gogol has reconnected with his Bengali roots, it seems to me that he will visit his mother often in Calcutta and will keep in touch with the Bengali friends that, for so long, have been like family to him. I imagine him becoming a renowned architect and an associate in the New York architecture firm he works at. Although his name, Nikkhil, will be included in the firm’s name, he will no longer reject the name Gogol, but will miss it since being called like that will remind him of his father. I imagine Gogol travelling the world, learning about other cultures and, eventually, meeting a girl that will make him happy.

After his work Gogol visits to their house and sleeps with Maxine, Gerald and Lydia think nothing. Simultaneously Gogol falls in love with Maxine and automatically wishes to marry her. However Gogol`s sense of responsibility ignites his cultural roots after his father’s death and he ignores Maxine. Maxine too repents the truth that she cannot provide any solace to Gogol as she belongs to a different culture.

a Gorgon has the ability to turn men to stone with a single glance from her cold, dead eyes and her hair is made up of a den of snakes. As anyone could imagine this would be a sight that even the greatest warriors would shy away from. However, Perseus does not fear this challenge as he willingly and eagerly accepts the opportunity to enter into the Gorgon’s lair. This quote is from the original story of Perseus, shows he is fearless,

When talking about the grotesque uncertainty and confusion is often common because when someone or something is grotesque it is out of the norm we don’t usually see or hear about it. In Gogol’s “The Nose” the grotesque is present throughout the whole story and especially with the two main characters Ivan Yakovlevich and Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov. A reader of this story will notice the similarities and the differences that these two characters share. This response to “The Nose” will compare and contrast the two main characters and show how they are grotesque.

In addition to the artificial and greedy nature of Russian society, Gogol reveals yet another negative facet of the Russian upper class – their obsession with materialistic goods. One’s status during 19th century Russia was determined by the amount of material possessions. Consequently, it is the reason Chichikov looks at Konstantin Fyodorovich with such awe, “the foremost manager that has ever existed in Russia” who “made it so that a run-down property that used to bring in barely twenty thousand now brings in two hundred thousand” (Gogol 313). Moreover, the need for materialistic possessions as a sign of status is also what motivates Chichikov to purchase dead souls, so that he can use it to elevate his own status. However, Gogol most appropriately depicts the materialistic nature of Russian society,