The Namesake By Jhumpa Lahiri
June 25, 2008
The entire story of the novel becomes very clear,the moment you read the title-“The Namesake” whose dictionary meaning is “A person with the same name as another”.The story is about a boy,born in the house of a bengali immigrant couple-Ashoke & Ashima Ganguli who have migrated to Massachusetts from Calcutta.The boy is named Gogol,after a Russian author Nikolai Gogol with whom his father has an intrinsic relationdhip because of a train accident.The name meant to be his nick name becomes his good name because of a small mistake of Gogol.Gogol,later changes his name & becomes Nikhil,as he hates his absurd,nonsensical name.Gogol aka Nikhil has a younger sister Sonia & is an architect.The story revolves around Nikhil & his life,his relationships,his dreams,his desires with little stress on lives of Ashoke,who in the meanwhile passes away or Ashima or Sonia.Nikhil is an exact example of Yankee Indians who despite of taking birth in a foreign country,treated as an alien,are somehow still connected with the age old traditions of India & are still unable to cope up with the quixotic living style of Americans.Ms. Jhumpa Lahiri,a renowned raconteur visits the private limited spaces of bengali immigrants in America(Lahiri’s world) where the state of exile is a cultural as well as an emotional denial,floating in an anonymous island,displaced & dour,& her empathy is as transparent as her words.
Though,Nikhil gets into relationships,infact intimate relationships with three girls viz Ruth,Maxine & finally settling down with Moushumi.All relationships,howsoever intimate they were,ended in a breakup all for the good.Till the end Nikhil finds himelf clueless about what his life is going to be with his mother going back to India,sister marrying his long time partner Bill & he still a vagabond.The story is about rediscovering your roots,& the accidents of the universe that caused you to be.And that’s somoething all of us can identify with.
Jhumpa hass wriiten a simple story presented in a lucid & exotic manner.The precise timing of the occurrence of events have made this novel all the more beter & definitely a must-read.Jhuma’s open sensuality & hidden complexity make this novel all the more whetted.Her eleganne,unretrained attitude & poise when combined with her unsurpassable rhetoric make a refreshing combination.
Lastly,In The Words Of Nikolai Gogol,”The Overcoat” –
“The reader should realize himself that it could not have happened otherwise,& that to give him any other name was quite out of the question.”
One of my favorite authors is definitely Lance,not becouse of his rhetoric but beacause of his straightforwardness.He hasnt given any damn concern to who’s who before criticising him.In both his novels,he hasn’s spared anybody & has not made any consideration before speaking out his real thoughts.Whatever was actually going on in his mind during the time is visible to the reader immediately.His reactions are not only very natural but any normal human being would have reacted in the same manner.He has accepted his victories with grace but its his style of accepting his shortcomings,defeats which showcases his modus vivendi,his belief in carpe diem.His dependency over his friends is something which connects with me the most.In his time of crisis,he was never deserted by his friends & when it was his turn he never let his friends go down.The person in a very short span has seen what needs an entire lifetime to be seen.From what seemed to be the peak of his career to cancer then again out of the blue reaching the zenith of success with his determination & hardwork.The person had a very turbulent life starting right away from his childhood,his mother married 3 times but still he has nobody to call Papa,but it was his mother,Linda Armstrong,who actually turned his all odds into evens.Her influence over his life can’t be negotiated.As a matter of fact,he is the only racer among the five racers all over the world,who has a cancer history & has won Tour de France 5 times.His life was never easy & he never tried to make it easy.After his own divorce,Lance is currentlly spending his time along with his children & his dream foundation – Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer patients.Honestly speaking,I completed both his novles in just 2 days & it was not only touching but also a thrilling experience.I really want Lance to write more but I wish he never feels the same.Goodluck To Lance!!!!!!!!
Nikhil's Virtuoso!!!!! 