The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri is a coming-of-age novel that explores the issue of identity. Ashima Ganguli is one of the main characters whose parents prepared an arranged marriage for her. Ashima is a young girl who feels most comfortable in Indian culture. She wears a bindi, saree, and dupatta, and she is the most spiritual among other characters (Lahiri, 2004). However, the woman has to experience several internal conflicts. First, as a young girl, she was pulled from her comfortable environment and thrown into an unknown culture. Furthermore, while it could be assumed that Ashima could not become an independent person, she indeed stood her ground and rewired herself later in the plot, moving from her husband. The last internal conflict was between her true Indian self and a new American version, so she decided to sell her house to live in the U.S. and Calcutta. “Even now that there is barely space inside her, it is the one thing she craves” – this quote best describes Ashima since she was pregnant and craving Indian drinks (Lahiri, 2004, p.1). This defines her as a person who follows and respects traditions.
The central theme involves identity and independence. Gogol has an ongoing battle to uphold his devotion to both realms. Consequently, identity is a significant issue in the book. And exploring the significance of one’s name, ethnicity, and culture helps to highlight this issue in vivid detail. The book satisfies several criteria for a Bildungsroman or novel about coming of age. Gogol, the story’s main character, matures throughout the narrative.
A significant setting from the book is the beginning of the book. It was 1968 in the U.S., and Ashima was expecting a child. “She wipes sweat from her face with the free end of her sari,” and has a drink with a lemon (Lahiri, 2004, p.1). This is the moment before she is taken to the hospital. The significance of this setting is that it reminds a reader of the calm before the storm. Lastly, the most important quote in the book is, “Pet names are a persistent remnant of childhood, a reminder that life is not always so serious, so formal, so complicated” (Lahiri, 2004, p. 26). This emphasizes the theme of identity and how the character explored his name and its significance in his life. To me, my name is a part of my childhood yet a reminder of my roots.
Reference
Lahiri, J. (2004). The Namesake. United Kingdom: Harper Perennial.