The Namesake Theme Of Identity Essay

"He is afraid to be Nikhil, someone he doesn 't know. Who doesn 't know him” (57). As a child, he associates a new name with a new identity.

Most people, unless they choose to be an outsider, want to be considered “cool.” Whether it’s to fit in with a peer group, or clique, or to impress someone in particular, like a member of the opposite sex, or a potential mate. Or possibly to gain something from an individual for financial or social gain (see “Scamming”).

Up until chapter six of Gatsby, the reader, along with most people who know Gatsby, are curious about who this notorious man really is. At this point in the story, the narrator, Nick Carroway, reveals Jay Gatsby's true identity: he is James Gatz, an impoverished man who partly through luck and partly through disciplined hard work, worked his way into the upper-crust of American society in hope of winning over the woman he loves. In The Great Gatsby, the title character's identity remains a secret for most of the story as a means of attempting to win over the woman he's loved since he was a teenager. Fitzgerald uses this secret to develop the theme that dreams are ultimately empty and difficult to attain because everyone is selfish.

Identity is what defines us as a person. Everyone one on earth has their own unique identity. To showcase my identity, I created a collage of images and descriptive words, called an identi-kit. This identi-kit shows what I feel like is my identity to myself and the others. My identi-kit identifies me as a mixed martial artist. The identi-kit has images of a deadly shark with mixed martial arts gloves on that say mixed martial arts on the front and fight shorts with the words competitor and warrior on them. It also has descriptive words like “killer instinct” and “fight” which describe my spirit. There are three assumptions that come to question when asking about one’s identity. The first is if you were born with this

After the initial rejection of his name at a party, Gogol has decided to legally change his name. This change is driven by the character’s disgust at the name his parents had given him, although it is he that had rejected being called Nikhil in kindergarten. The name Gogol comes to represent two very different things to his father Ashoke, and Gogol. To Ashoke, the name represents his life being saved the fateful night of the train derailment. As Caesar writes, “To Ashoke, the name Gogol is...a reminder of the way in which the reading of [Nikolai] Gogol’s short story saved his life…” (108). To Gogol Ganguli, the name simply reminds him of a strange and sad writer he learned about in English class, with no meaningful representation in his own life. Gogol is frustrated that his parents named him something so silly, especially since it is not even a Bengali name. As Gogol stands before the judge, he is asked why he wishes to change his name, to which he responds, “I hate the name Gogol...I’ve always hated it ” (Lahiri 102) His rejection of the name Gogol allows him to escape the identity placed upon him by his parents. Although Nikhil is an Indian name, it enables him to try on a new and more sophisticated identity. The one by which he has his first kiss, his admissions to college, and subsequently the relationships that

Identity. What is identity? One will say that it is the distinct personality of an individual. Others will say that identity is the behavior of a person in response to their surrounding environment. At certain points of time, some people search for their identity in order to understand their existence in life. In regards, identity is shaped into an individual through the social trials of life that involve family and peers, the religious beliefs by the practice of certain faiths, and cultural awareness through family history and traditions. These are what shape the identity of an individual.

When someone has established his or her identity based on experiences and is proud of that identity, he or she is said to be comfortable. In the novel The Namesake, the main character, Gogol Ganguli, is divided between Bengali and American culture, while also having difficulty accepting his name. This causes him to struggle with establishing and being comfortable with his identity. In The Namesake, Gogol, who struggles to identify with his name and his culture, becomes more comfortable with himself after going through difficult life experiences

In The Great Gatsby, a prominent underlying theme is self transformation, or the reinventing of oneself. Throughout the book Gatsby is not what he says he is. He made up his whole life story in order to impress a girl he falls in love with before he is sent off to war. Jay Gatsby sets out to completely reinvent himself in every way, starting with his name. Growing up in the midwest, he was James Gatz, son of poor a poor farmer. In the text, the characters that

As Gogol grows, he begins to hate his name as Gogol, and requests to change his name to Nikhil. ""What is the reason you want to change your name, Mr. Ganguli?" the judge asks. … "I hate the name Gogol," he says. "I always hated it."" (p.101-102) as Gogol brings up this topic to discuss during dinner befor he changes his name in the summer, Gogol claims that because he is an Indian with a Russian name in America, nobody is taking him seriously, thrust requesting to change his name into Nikhil, even if it makes a huge hassle to change his legal documents. With out the question of his rare name and confusion of the choice, Gogol accepts himself more easier and believes that he has become more Americanized. Gogol sees himself more Americanized as people do while he attends parties and other group activities in his social circle.

Jay Gatsby is the title character of The Great Gatsby. His original name was James Gatz.. He is from the rural area of North Dakota, born in a dirty and poor German American farmer family.

My identity is something that that no one can take away from me. As I am still growing and learning, I can say that I have found many things that appeal to me. My interests will help define my personality and express myself in ways that I can’t express through words. I enjoy finding new things to do and doing my best in aiming towards my goals. I have many goals, but I know that I can only accomplish them through patience and perseverance.

Along the novel, the reader learns Jay Gatsby was in fact a complete different person. In the beginning where he meets with Nick , he lies about where he grew up, making Nick suspicious of his true identity. Jay Gatsby created identity for himself, to elude from his societal past. The reader first learns Gatsby changed his name at age seventeen, his real name was James Gatz.

As identity becomes the core issue, Gogol’s name becomes quite significant. As a child, Gogol is used to the name Gogol so that when his parents ask his good name ‘Nikhil’ to be his official name when he starts schooling, he is reluctant to accept the new name. Lahiri states that “he

In many situations, relationships can help people in better understanding who they are and noticing things about themselves they never did before. Gogol is a perfect example of this. In The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, the author shows Gogols increased understanding of his feelings towards culture, his family and his name. Gogol does this through his relationships with Ruth, Maxine and Moushumi.

The Namesake is a novel that describes the life of a Bengali couple who immigrate to the United States to form a life outside everything they know. The novel provides a detailed account of the family’s hardships and struggles that they face as they seek to belong in their new country. The story follows the life of their son, Gogol Ganguli and his struggle to belong in his family, culture and society. In the novel his name, Gogol begins to shape many aspects within his life and is central theme to the concept of belonging in the novel. The novel is open to ages 15 and provides an insight into the troubles that people may whilst trying to belong to a new society.