Identity - "The Namesake" Jhumpa Lahiri

Gogol’s Identity Throughout Namesake, Gogol Ganguli struggles with his identity being both Indian and American. Although he tended to stray far away from anything Bengali, his deeply rooted culture never faded away. After his father’s death, Gogol gradually returned to his Indian traditions. He takes care of his mother and sister, abandons the life he could have with Maxine, then marries a Bengali woman. In his attempt to stay clear from anything Bengali, Gogol revels in the fact that he could escape from it by way of his new girlfriend Maxine. He is fascinated by every aspect of her lifestyle, a lifestyle that is starkly different from his. Then, Ashoke abruptly passed away, giving Gogol a sort of wake up call. When told to get away from all the chaos that came with sorting out the family affairs, Gogol responded with, “I don’t want to get away” (182). Gogol realizes the importance of staying close to home to take care of his mother. Then, “a few months after his father’s death, he stepped out of Maxine’s life for good” (188) abandoning a life he could have had with Maxine. He re-evaluates his life to figure out what his priorities are and he ends up trading it all in for his family.
Ashoke’s death is a pivotal moment in the novel and it is a time where Gogol is able to return to his Bengali roots for a little while. Gogol recalls the time when his grandfather had passed away and when his father had shaved his head accordingly. He recalls, “...it was a Bengali son’s duty to shave his head in the wake of a parent’s death” (179). Gogol also observes the other customs that come after a death in the Bengali culture. “For ten days following his father’s death, he and his mother and Sonia eat a mourner’s diet” (180). On the eleventh day of mourning, Gogol sits in front of his father’s portrait during a religious ceremony while verses in Sanksrit are being chanted. In this ceremony, Gogol is fulfilling his own duty as a Bengali son, paying respects to his