Reflection: "The Namesake"

The Namesake Reflection

            At first while reading The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, I found that Gogol’s love life was unfortunate. In my blog post “It’s a Love Story,” I reflected on how I was so happy for Gogol and his new love Moushumi. But it terns out everything is not what it seems, and in the end I was rooting for Gogol all the way when they split up. However, that is the point though, how throughout the novel the events and characters most of the time become the polar opposite of what you originally had thought.

            I loved Gogol in the beginning of the novel, because he was a kid. He conformed to everything including what his parents wanted and somewhat of what the world wanted of him being a good American Indian son. I liked how Ashima, “She misses the free end of her sari as they walk together.” (Lahiri 50) Gogol is so sweet, innocent, and most importantly willing to follow his mother or in a subtle way willing to follow the Indian tradition, hence the sari. As I said before, by the end of the novel Gogol becomes the polar opposite of what he was destined to become as a child. “And then he remembers that his parents can’t possibly reach him: he has not given them the number, and the Ratliffs are unlisted. That here at Maxine’s side, in his cloistered wilderness, he is free.” (Lahiri 158) He hates his name, the culture, the rules, the differences, and that he is not given the opportunity to choose what he wants to go in life. He doesn’t want to marry an Indian girl or become a doctor. Instead he wants to be the All-American, and marry the rich white girl whose parents are easygoing, like Maxine.

Gogol makes extreme rash decisions in his life to get as far away as he possibly can from his problems. One being his name and another being his Indian heritage Maxine is complete opposite of what he was in the beginning, a reserved Indian boy afraid to talk and would rather read. Lahiri wants to show us that it is inevitable for us to agree to everything that is put in front of our faces, and like Gogol we want to rebel and search for who we are in actively searching for an identity that we want, or think we know we are.

In my blog post, I thought that I knew who Mouchumi was. And I assumed that she was the perfect fit for Gogol, because she was Indian, a book worm, lover of the arts, intelligent, and could relate to Gogol because she had many other similarities with him. “ I just love how even though both of them from early on in their lives decided to break away from whatever their parents wanted, such as who their parents picked for them to marry. But since they knew each other from before in their lives there is a sense of their own past within the other, a different perspective of what they could have been like, how they were seen, etc. She is only known as a book reader to him from before, but as he sees her, "He had not expected to enjoy himself, to be attracted to her in the least." (Lahiri 199) He is so unexpectedly pleased by her company and ability to relate to him, and he loves how she is natural, how he can get to know her for what she ism her story her struggle, and love every detail about her. "He wonders what is might be like to kiss her on the mouth." (Lahiri 205) He wants her, to love her, and it doesn't matter that their mom's set them up or that she is of course Indian.” (“It’s a Love Story”) In the blog post I was so quick to judge the hopeful good intentions of their love, and forgot how Lahiri makes everything about Gogol and his decisions overcomplicated and ending up being suck sticky situations biting him later.

I have learned from Lahiri, well first to never trust characters in their choices and think that they know what their doing. Anyway, but seriously, I have learned that people are irrational and stubborn about what they think they already know about themselves, therefore making them work harder to find who they are, what they want, and also who they will love. In the end of the novel Gogol finally sits down to read, listen, and learn. He lets go of his concept of what he needs to be, what he thinks he wants, and just allows himself to be immersed in the mystery of life instead of constantly beating at the gates of hell, demanding the life’s secrets, regrets, or knowledge. I don’t want to not accept what life throws at me. I want to be open to all possibilities and never close any doors purely because of my emotions. To be free I don’t want to act out and think happiness will be the opposite of what I have, but instead think it though, pay attention to my surrounding, and most importantly stop and smile.