20% Go further in your study of The Namesake with background information, movie adaptations, and links to the best resources around the web. The next morning, he flies home to Boston to be with his mother and Sonia. Gogol begins school, and although his parents have settled on an official name, Nikhil, for him to use there, Gogol insists on being called Gogol, and so the name sticks. At the same time, Ashoke and Ashima take their children to regular gatherings of their Bengali friends in America, and the family takes extended trips to Calcutta, at one point living with relatives for an eight-month period. The year is 1968, and Ashima Ganguli, a Bengali woman who has recently moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts with her new husband, is about to give birth. Browse our hundreds of reports, webinars, one-pagers and checklists covering many topics related to child care. Nikhil develops a love for architecture, and after graduating from Yale, he attends design school at Columbia, then lives uptown and works for a firm in Manhattan. Her husband, Ashoke, accompanies her to the hospital in a taxi. It was originally published in The New Yorker and was later expanded to a full-length novel. The Namesake is the story of two generations of the Gangulis, a family of Indian immigrants to the United States. When he begins kindergarten, his parents decide that his good name will be NikhilAshimas grandmother had suffered a stroke, so her naming letter was lost in the mailbut at school Gogol continues to be called by his pet name, frightened by the idea of changing it. For Ashima, however, the journey abroad has proven difficult. What is the main message of The Namesake? Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! Gogol officially changes his name to Nikhil before going to Yale. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. After waiting hurriedly for Gogols delayed Amtrak train, one holiday weekend, Ashoke tells his son about the train-wreck that nearly killed him, and that gave Gogol his name. Summaries. What is the summary of The Namesake? This divorce devastates him but brings him home where he begins to find peace with himself and others around him by accepting who he is for who he was born to bea son of India (and not America). TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. The edition of the novel used for this guide is by Mariner Books, e-book edition, 2004. Gogol continues his life in New York, though he visits his mother and sister in Boston more frequently. She is hit with culture shock as she and her husband start a new life in America. The couple waits for their sons good name to come in a letter from Ashimas grandmother in India, but in the meantime they must give the hospital a temporary pet name, and so they settle on Gogol, the writer whose book saved Ashokes life and made possible this new one. Gogol flies to Ohio to identify his father's body and clean out his apartment. Ashima and Ashoke gave this right to Ashimas grandmother, who sent in her choice of name for their child. He also decides that he wants to be an architect instead of following his fathers wishes. The novel is divided into twelve chapters that are each about twenty to thirty pages long. He has started to come to terms with his Indian-American identity. How Do You Build One? The Gangulis move to a Boston suburb, a university town where Ashoke has found a job teaching electrical engineering. Ashima Ganguli, expecting a child, makes a snack for herself in the kitchen of her apartment, which she shares with her husband, Ashoke. Ashima's brother Rana calls with the bad news that her father has suffered a heart attack and died. Study Guides, Jhumpa Lahiri and The Namesake Background. Copyright 1999 - 2022 GradeSaver LLC. He names their son Gogol after the After Ashoke dies, Gogol Although they are happy enough at first, soon small remembrances of Moushumis past with her ex-fianc Graham begin to trouble their relationship. The Namesake takes readers behind the closed doors of people who have immigrated to the United States to find a better life and the challenges they unexpectedly discover in the process. Last Updated on May 5, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. The issue over what name he should be called is forgotten as time goes by. I'll send you notes on entrepreneurship and summaries of the best books I'm reading. Moushumi likes spending time with her artistic, Brooklyn friends, whereas Gogol finds them frustrating and selfish. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Wang, Bella ed. Gogol hides the book in a closet and forgets about it. In The Namesake Ashima Ganguli is Ashokes wife and the mother of Gogol and Sonia. how does the author use structure to covey the shifts in gogol's feelings about his family and his relationship with maxine? Subscribe now. Here's where you'll find analysis of the literary devices in The Namesake, from the major themes to motifs, symbols, and more. Ashima sets Gogol up with Moushumi, a family friend from Pemberton Road, who now studies for a French-literature PhD in New York. Free trial is available to new customers only. Which statement best summarizes a central idea in The Namesake? Ashoke has been set on traveling abroad ever since a terrible train accident a few years previous, which he barely survived. While Ashima is addressing Christmas cards one quiet day, Ashoke calls at 3 pm and tells her he is at the hospital. Quality Practices for Early Care and Education, OngoingTraining and Continuing Education. The way the content is organized, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. After two years in university-subsidized housing, Ashima and Ashoke decide to buy a home. He learns about the life of Nikolai Gogol in a literature class, and is horrified by that mans bizarre, unhappy existence. The family is stunned. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The two met in Calcutta, where their marriage was arranged by their parents. The reader learns from Ashima's point of view that Sonia and Ben are going to be married in Calcutta in a little over a year, and that Gogol and Moushumi decided to get a divorce. Later, returning to New York, he goes on a date (suggested by his mother) with one of the other Bengali children present at the many gatherings of his childhoodMoushumi Mazoomdar. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. The young couple met through an arranged marriage in Calcutta, India, where Ashima had lived her whole life before leaving to accompany Ashoke as he studies engineering at M.I.T. His sister Sonia is marrying a man named Ben and staying in the Boston area. In the waiting room of the hospital, Ashoke remembers how in 1961, as he was taking the train from Calcutta to Jamshedpur to visit his grandfather and collect the books he was to inherit from him, there was an accident and he had nearly died. Read our full plot summary and analysis of The Namesake, scene by scene break-downs, and more. He has trouble with the unusual name they gave him and with some traditions that embarrass him in front of his friends. However, when the principal of the school learns that he dislikes this name and prefers his nickname, she refuses to allow him to use any other name. It follows his life from childhood to middle age, and chronicles his struggles with finding out who he is as an immigrant son of Indian parents in America. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. When we first meet Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli they are living in a small apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts, about to welcome their first child into the world. When was the promise by Damon Galgut published. Soon enough, they are married at a large Bengali ceremony in New Jersey. They break up after Ruth spends a semester (and then a summer) abroad in England. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. The two children, with their natural, unaccented English and socialization in the American school system, are the reason for Ashoke and Ashimas adoption of Christmas and of certain American food items. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book. Time passes. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Wed love to have you back! Moushumi, a French Ph.D. candidate at NYU, has always sought independence, and cannot help but feel that marrying Gogol was in some way settling. In the end, she has an affair with an old crush, Dimitri Desjardins, and she and Gogol are divorced. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? The novel then tracks Gogols growth, as the family moves into a small suburban town when Ashoke is hired as an assistant professor at the local university. Gogol asks him if he reminds him of that night that he almost died, and his father says no; he reminds him of "everything that followed.". (including. Gogol goes to Yale and introduces himself as Nikhil; however, it takes a while before he really feels like Nikhil. However, as he grows older, he comes to appreciate what they went through when moving here and how hard it was for them to adapt to their adopted country. Gogol is anguished with shame, since his namesake is such an apparently luckless character, although the other students dont seem to notice as acutely as he does. Join us for networking, partnership and thought leadership as we unpack todays child care challenges and opportunities. Tonya is also the founder of Giant Bookshelf, a website dedicated to helping readers find their next great read. The next year, the Gangulis decide to go to Calcutta for eight months while Ashoke is up for sabbatical at the university. | They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. The Namesake depicts the struggles of Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli (Irrfan Khan and Tabu), first-generation immigrants from the East He remembers the year before, how on the train ride from New York to the house at Pemberton Road he had discovered Moushumi's affair with Dimitri. Setting: Calcutta; Massachusetts; New York. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. See a complete list of the characters inThe Namesakeand in-depth analyses of Gogol (Nikhil) Ganguli, Ashima Ganguli, Ashoke Ganguli, and Moushumi. Ashima encourages him to call Moushumi Mazoomdar, the daughter of family friends whom Gogol has grown up around at family parties. Ashima and Ashoke want to wait to name him until a letter arrives from Ashima's grandmother with two name options: one for a boy and one for a girl. Child Care Aware of America is dedicated to serving our nations military and DoD families. Now, arriving at the train station a year later, he sees Sonia and Ben pulling up in his mother's car to take him to the house one last time. It was originally a novel published by The Newyorker and was later expanded to a Early Bird Deadline Extended! If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. The Namesake is not a true story. He divorces her two years into their marriage before things can get worse between them. Gogol arrives at the train station before Sonia and Ben are there to meet him. The Namesake essays are academic essays for citation. Continue to start your free trial. When we first meet Ashoke and Lahiris narrator, GradeSaver, 21 November 2011 Web. He begins spending most of his time at their home rather than at his own apartment, and he feels effortlessly incorporated into their lives. The Namesake Summary. Instead of following his fathers wishes Namesake Ashima Ganguli is Ashokes wife and the Namesake Ashima is! Literature class, and more over 50 % with a SparkNotes PLUS subscription is $ 4.99/month or $ 24.99/year selected... The best Books I 'm reading gogol 's feelings about his family and his relationship with maxine Ganguli Ashokes! Pemberton Road, who sent in her choice of name for their child the Yorker... 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