Isolation In The Namesake By Jhumpa Lahiri

Throughout the Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri uses both diction and the theme of isolation to show how Ashima and Ashoke constantly oppose Gogol and his beliefs because of the different cultures in which they grew up. After moving to the United States, Ashima and Ashoke possess an extreme sense of seclusion because they must raise a son in a foreign country that they are not familiar with. While Ashima lies in the hospital bed waiting to give birth to Gogol, she immediately feels isolated. Without Ashoke by her side she is “now alone, cut off by curtains from the other three women in the room.” (Lahiri 3) For the first time in her life, Ashima is “alone” and “cut off” from the world she once knew in India. Lahiri specifically dictates this to further