Namesake Essay

2189 Words9 Pages
The Namesake, written by Jhumpa Lahiri, is a best-selling novel of much cultural complexity that has also recently been made into a film. The novel sets the scene for the reader by introducing Ashoke Ganguli. Ashoke is a young man and in college. We first encounter him on a train to visit his grandfather. On this trip, Ashoke becomes a victim in a very bad accident. Also onboard, other passengers tell him to “see the world.” After recovery, these words become his life mission. In conjunction with his new-found life purpose, he decides on a drastically life-changing decision: he will venture out to the United States and earn an education for himself. After finally becoming accustomed to American life, he heads back to his native India. There, an arranged marriage is in its planning stages and his future wife, Ashima, is awaiting him. Ashima, an aspiring singer who lives in Calcutta with her family, is a beautiful woman. She is initially impressed with Ashoke and decides that this arrangement is overall favorable. Shortly after marrying, the decision is made to part ways with Ashima’s family. She shortly becomes depressed because of this and the fact that her English skills are fairly poor, making it difficult to communicate her needs. After moving to the United States, Ashima becomes pregnant and the couple becomes parents to a boy. Before being permitted to leave the hospital and head home with their first child, they are given the duty of choosing a name for their son. This is typically a simple process in American culture, but this situation highlights one of the biggest contrasts between two cultures. In Bengali culture, the maternal grandmother always chooses the name of the newborn. However, officials at the hospital are in a rush and will not allow any more time for the couple to decide on a name. At this point, Ashoke begins to think back and his favorite
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