Beyoncé once stated “Your self-worth is determined by you. You don’t have to depend on someone telling you who you are.” As the protagonist of The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Gogol Ganguli embarks on a journey of self-discovery from birth through a carefree and rambunctious childhood to evolving into a down-to-earth, kind-hearted, and selfless individual. As Gogol’s identity develops, he begins to realize that he must assimilate into American society. As a result of his ambitious prospect, Gogol faces an ongoing battle with the clashing individuals encompassing him by discouraging his decisions, and thus, instigating feelings of accountability and guilt. This leads to his inevitable campaign to find his identity generating a ripple effect of dissatisfaction with his relationships, the judgement of contradictory individuals, and how he is perceived by others.
In New York, Gogol Ganguli is known to endure bewilderment about the identity of his name. As a preschooler, his parents endorse a new nickname dubbed Nikhil for his peers to address him as, but Gogol instantaneously declines, as he is accustomed to his initial name. Years later, Gogol cultivates resentful perception towards his name due to the lack of significance, and his disapproval of Nikolai Gogol’s despondent perspective appearing in his literature. Confined to his discord, Gogol stops at nothing to demonstrate solidarity and testimony for his name to fluctuate, evoking the judge to “stamp and sign the form, then return it to the clerk” (Lahiri 102). After Gogol’s name revolutionizes Nikhil, Ashoka mentions the near-death experience that gave Nikhil his initial name, generating a remorseful and apologetic response. After Nikhil graduates from Yale, he establishes a strong interest in architecture and develops his first strongly affectionate relationship with Maxine in Manhattan.
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Though Nikhil’s life becomes successful and pleasant, the passing of his father materializes a negative mentality, regardless of the imperceptible relationship that is exhibited to the eye. Due to these catastrophic events, Nikhil begins to spend substantial time with his family, instigating Maxine’s jealous attitude towards his family, leading to their separation. As he continues his life in New York, Ashima assembles a date between Moushumi and Nikhil, and they instantly fall in love, initiating their engagement. As Nikhil and Moushumi are joined in marriage, Moushumi is quick to be “invited to give a paper at a conference at the Sorbonne, and they decide to make a vacation out of it” (Lahiri, 230). However, Moushumi feels unfulfilled in her marriage with Nikhil, causing a breakdown in their marriage, as she is seemingly caught in an affair with an old acquaintance, causing a divorce. Once Nikhil returns to Pemberton Road to reunite with his family, he comprehends that “the givers and keepers of Gogol’s name are far from him now” (Lahiri 289). As he discovers an assortment of short stories written by Nikolai Gogol, he feels obligated to acknowledge the collection’s existence in consideration of his father. As a result, he expeditiously envisions how influential the author's work was to Ashoke, as “He turns to [read] the first story [labeled] The Overcoat” (Lahiri 290).
Gogol’s despondent thoughts and feelings begin to manifest in actions that cause a domino effect of dissatisfaction due to his identity, his parents’ decisions, his resolutions, and his relationships. First and foremost, Gogol’s visionary nature heavily fuels distress and humiliation, despite encompassing individuals exhibiting an admiring and well-rounded essence. When Gogol flourishes his first romantic relationship with Kim, she asks him to introduce himself, but “He doesn’t want to endure her reaction, to see her lovely blue eyes grow wide” (Lahiri 95), as he is fearful to endure the ignominy of being neglected or humiliated. Restrained to his opposition, Gogol displays animosity towards his name, subsequently provoking him to retrieve “a Commonwealth of Massachusetts change-of-name form, to submit” (Lahiri 100), in defiance of his parents’ wishes. Ultimately, Gogol’s mindset conspicuously generates an ongoing battle between his parents’ beliefs and the conflicting wishes he maintains, inducing a distant and isolated relationship. Confined to his judgment, Gogol assumes that “it’s easier to ignore his parents, to tune out their concerns and pleas” (Lahiri 105) after replacing his name, refusing to give any sensitivity to other perspectives. In contempt of his parents’ desires, Gogol endures a great deal of optimism and relief until his father discloses “the night that had nearly taken his life” (Lahiri 123), which gave rise to Gogol’s initial name. Thirdly, after Gogol demonstrates gratitude immediately upon his desires coming to fruition, he speedily encounters dissatisfaction with his decisions, as they are challenged with sentimental outcomes. When Ashoke passes away, Gogol faces internal dissension, substantially instigating accountability and guilt for the variety of apathetic behavior he continually put into effect, generating him to feel “guilty [when] throwing out the food” (Lahiri 175) in his father’s apartment. As a result, the demise of Ashoke elicits a stronger bond between Gogol’s family, allowing him to let go of Maxine by her “feeling jealous of his mother and sister” (Lahiri, 188). Lastly, even though Gogol’s relationships arise pleasantly, he repeatedly encounters ludicrous and hurtful actions or statements that eradicate their potential. As Gogol asks about Moushumi’s affair with Dimitri, “He felt the chill of her secrecy, numbing him, like a poison spreading quickly through his veins” (Lahiri 282), subsequently resulting in their divorce. Correspondingly, the quantity of affection Gogol provides Moushumi felt all in vain, giving rise to “the anger, [and] the humiliation of having been deceived” (Lahiri 282). Therefore, Gogol’s need to belong and adjust to American society pushes him towards a downward spiral, which affects his relationships and causes him regret.
To conclude, Gogol’s adversity put him on a path to self-discovery in which he experiences heartache, loss, and grief, though not all was lost, as he learns from his mistakes. As a result of Gogol’s developing identity, he “[returns] to his room, to be alone, to read the book he had once forsaken, [and] has abandoned until now” (Lahiri 290). Equivalently, his determined outlook clashes with surrounding individuals, discouraging his capabilities to make decisions for himself. This prompts his forthcoming campaign to discover his existence developing a chain of events that generates frustration with his relationships, the judgement of contrasting individuals, and how he is perceived by others. By giving into his impulses, he justifies that he “doesn’t have to depend on someone telling [him] who [he] is.” Instead, he accepts that “his self-worth is determined by [himself].”
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