The End of a Journey

I have now finished The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri! Right off the bat I must say that I got so into the book after the first 4 chapters. I was rooting for characters, I was hoping for things to happen, and I was genuinely excited to read every single page.

Would I read this book again in the future? Maybe, but probably not. I have generated such detest for some characters in this book that I really don't think I can go through reading it again. I also don't think I would read it again because of how painfully slow the beginning of the novel was. In comparison, I wouldn't read the third Hunger Games book, Mockingjay, again because of how SLOW it was in my opinion. So in other words, Gogol's journey in this novel is finished, and my journey reading this novel is also finished.


Let's dive head first right in to my opinions shall we? Since I was so interested in this novel, I have many opinions about the events. Prepare for a very long post!



1. Moushumi 

Moushumi in a nutshell

The relationship between Gogol and Moushumi started off so adorable! Meeting up after so many years of being apart. It gave me such a girl-next-door type of vibe, and I really wanted them to stay together. ALTHOUGH, I must say, I really did enjoy the relationship between Gogol and Maxine more than the relationship between Gogol and Moushumi, but I still found Goshumi to be such a great couple. BUT, I'm not kidding when I say that when Moushumi began thinking about this "Dimitri" shmuck, on page 256, I KNEW something bad was going to happen.

"The name alone, when she'd first learned it, had been enough to seduce her. Dimitri Desjardins." (Lahiri. 256)

When I continued reading about Moushumi's fantasies involving Dimitri, I finally reached page 263. I wanted to phone Gogol and warn him of the upcoming events involving his relationship the second I read this...

"She dials the number, listens as it rings four times. She wonders if he'll even remember her. Her heart races. Her finger moves to the cradle, ready to press down. "Hello?" It's his voice. "Hi, Dimitri?" "Speaking. Who's this?" She pauses. She can still hang up if she wants. "It's Mouse." They begin seeing each other [...]" (Lahiri. 263)

I have so many issues with this, so why don't I just list them off? 

a) The novel says, "She can still hang up if she wants", but guess what she doesn't do? SHE DOESN'T HANG UP THE PHONE. Which means that she didn't want to hang up. She wanted to talk to this guy. 

b) Doesn't she remember what a "vow" means? The literal definition of "vow" is "a solemn promise". She broke a promise, she broke morals, and in the end, she broke someone's heart. Shame on her. 

c) My third issue is that on the EXACT SAME PAGE that she calls Dimitri for the first time in years (263) they are already having sex. In this novel, you can tell that this sex doesn't mean much, since Lahiri normally refers to sex as "making love". However, in this context, it is just referred to as "sex". Sex as a word has no sensual meaning, it doesn't have as much value to the act as "making love" does. 

Overall, Moushumi made me want to punch a brick wall with my bare fist because of how disloyal she is to someone who is doing anything to give her everything he possibly can. 

2. Fun talk about names!!!

"Moushumi argues that a name like hers is a curse, complains that no one can say it properly, that the kids at school pronounced it Moosoomi and shortened it to Moose. "I hated being the only Moushumi I knew," she says. "See now, I'd have loved that," Oliver tells her." (Lahiri. 239)

In my case, I would love to have a unique name. I think a lot of people really enjoy having a unique name, because it makes them stand out, and makes people remember them. For example, Bruno Mars's real name is Peter Hernandez. How many people with the classic name Peter do you know, versus the amount of people with the name Bruno Mars? Would you remember the name Bruno Mars easier, or Peter Hernandez easier?

Standing out for being unique

However, at the same time I guess this could be an example of how the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. If my name wasn't Amanda, and was instead something like Lollipop, I would feel absurd and out of place. Perhaps people with unique names can tend to feel out of place, or abnormal. It all comes down to personal preference. 

I also really loved how Gogol FINALLY spoke up at one of these repetitive dinner parties, and said what he was truly thinking. 

"Theres no such thing as a perfect name. I think that human beings should be allowed to name themselves when they turn eighteen," he adds. "Until then, pronouns." People shake their heads dismissively." (Lahiri. 245)

YES GOGOL!!!! Tell them what you think! Who cares if they shake their heads "dismissively"? Gogol had to put up with these dinner parties for so long, listening to conversation he never cared about, and he never had input about topics. Good for you, Gogol. I can't really say I agree with what he said, because I find that naming a child is such a classic custom that takes so much thought and planning, and I find it to be a necessary part of parenthood. But to each his own. 

3. An interesting connection between the narration of the novel, and Gogol's namesake.

"He had slept soundly, curled up on two seats, his book unread, using his overcoat as a blanket, pulled up to his chin." (Lahiri 280)

This made me smile, since it is obviously a connection Lahiri was making between Gogol Ganguli, and Nikolai Gogol. She could have just said that Gogol was using his coat as a blanket, but she decided to say "overcoat". Diction at it's finest! Reading this made me reminisce about the relationship Gogol and his father used to share, and think about how much Gogol misses his father. Very sad, but comforting to remember that Gogol really did care about his father. 

4. I can't help but feel bad for Gogol at moments like this!

"In the spring he went to Venice alone for a week, the trip he'd planned for the two of them, saturating himself in its ancient, melancholy beauty." (Lahiri. 283)

Poor Gogol! He put so much hard work into thinking about, and planning this wonderful trip for him and Moushumi. I was ready to melt when he thought of the gift idea, for them to spend time together in Italy. That sounds so beautiful and romantic. I went to Italy about a year and a half ago, and I really think that Venice would have been a lovely place for Gogol and Moushumi to spend some quality time together. Too bad she's unfaithful!!!! 

5. I also found that the writing style of the novel became much more intimate between the author and the reader after the first third of the book. It felt like the characters were right in front of me, and I was seeing them with my own eyes. The diction that Lahiri was using throughout the last 60% of the book increasingly got more interesting to me, and continued to make me want to read more.

6. Within the final 4 chapters of the novel, I really noticed that there was a recurring theme about love and marriage and how it differs from person to person in the same family. 

Ashoke and Ashima had a love that branched from their pasts in India, and was most definitely a different form of love than any relationship Gogol encountered. The relationships Gogol had can be contrasted with the relationship that Ashima and Ashoke shared. Gogol had a romantic and sexual relationship with three women throughout the story (Ruth, Maxine, and Moushumi), all of which were intense relationships that really influenced the way Gogol acted. In comparison, Ashima and Ashoke were one another's only romantic partner throughout the course of the novel. Their relationship was not as sexual as the relationships Gogol possessed, and this really showed how different love can be between different people. 

Love can mean something different to everyone

This also really highlights the differences between the generations of the Ganguli family. Gogol believed that love was something he had to find on his own, and it had to make him feel something deep within himself. The love between Ashima and Ashoke was not found by them, it was arranged by their parents. In the beginning, the relationship between Ashima and Ashoke didn't make either of them feel any desire for one another deep within themselves. The idea of love in their minds was to create a family, not to be lovestruck for their partner. The idea of love in Gogol's mind was the opposite. 

After reading this novel, I can conclude that the book really wasn't half bad, and I honestly did enjoy reading it. The contrasts between generations, the variety of events that occurred, and the contrasts between cultures in this novel really kept me interested in the story. Great job, Lahiri! Stay updated with my page because I intend on posting content about future novels I'm going to read! 

Works Cited

Digital image. Cool Love Wallpapers Desktop. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

Digital image. Moj Enterijer, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

Not Half Bad. Digital image. What's The Saying Answers. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

Some People Be Perpetrating Like They're an Angel But Ain't Nothing But a Devil in Disguise. Digital image. Jar of Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

Venice Is One of the Best Places to Travel to Alone, According to RoutePerfect.com. Digital image. 11 European Destinations Everyone Should Travel to Alone. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

#Vow. Digital image. Topsy, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.

The Namesake is.... Interesting...

So as you guys know, I am currently reading The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. I have finished 8 chapters out of the 12 in the novel, and I found that chapters 5-8 were WAY different than chapters 1-4. These two sections are polar opposites in comparison to one another. What happened to Gogol/Nikhil/what even is his name anymore? During half the novel the author refers to him as Gogol, but at other times she refers to him as Nikhil. I understand if he is referred to as Gogol while around his family, but it seems at the most random of times his name just gets flip-flopped between the two options.

Polar opposites

Flip-Flop, Flip-Flop.......

Gogol seems to be going through the genital psychosexual stage like nobody I have ever seen before! HOW MANY GIRLS??? HOW MANY GIRLS DO YOU NEED GOGOL?????? He used to be such a sweet little boy who loved his mommy and spent his days with her, and now he's a sex-craving teenager in a grown man's body.

Gogol lives for sex... its part of his cardiograph...

On top of Gogol's love for sex, Lahiri seems to just throw the idea of sex into the novel like its not even important.

"Still, some nights when her parents have a dinner party she has no interest in, or simply to be fair, she appears, quickly filling up the small space with her gardenia perfume, her coat, her big brown leather bag, her discarded clothes, and they make love on his futon as the traffic rumbles below. He is nervous to have her in his place, aware that he has put nothing up on his walls, that he has not bothered to buy lamps to replace the dismal glow of the ceiling light" (Lahiri 139). 

Why is there chit-chat about him having the most intimate physical connection with a girl he loves, and then narration about how he doesn't have paintings or lamps? The story just makes me feel as if sex isn't important, when we live our whole lives thinking its very important! Perhaps sex is a different type of connection in Lahiri's mind, but I really have to disagree with this. Throughout the novel it just seems as if sex is just a small, worthless accessory in any of Gogol's relationships. 

This dinner could've been so much more :(

GOGOL AND MOUSHUMI BURNED A PERFECTLY GOOD DINNER JUST SO THEY COULD BANG. They had their first kiss approximately 0.23 seconds before they had sex. Again, don't we live our lives thinking that these physical intimacy moments are sacred and important? But in this novel it just seems as if a kiss, or having sex is just a simple act between two people who may or may not even care about each other. Another example of this is when Gogol was KNOWINGLY part of the act of infidelity. When he decided to have sex with Bridget, knowing that she has a husband in a different city and that he knew nothing about her, just makes me think he is a sex-driven pig!!! And then after that, he feels guilty when the train passes him on its way to New York from Boston because he thinks that Bridget's loyal husband may be on that train. GOOD! FEEL GUILTY! It's not like Bridget never told Gogol she was in a relationship, Gogol knew. The fact that he made the decision to assist someone in cheating on their husband makes me lose a lot of respect for his character.


Another new event in the novel that caught my attention was the different style of narration as Gogol gets older. The novel never once swore up until page 140. NEVER. ONCE. But then all of a sudden, when a more appropriate word could have been used to better suit the context of the novel, Lahiri slaps us in the face with shit (pun intended).

 Lahiri needs one of these!

"In the mornings a few times a week he gets up early and goes running before work with Gerald along the Hudson, down to Battery Park City and back. He volunteers to take Silas out for walks, holding the leash as the dog sniffs and pokes at trees, and he picks up Silas's warm shit with a plastic bag" (Lahiri 140).

When I read this I distinctly remember just stopping. I stopped reading momentarily. I was shocked. Out of all words in the English language, the author chooses one of the most offensive words to describe what comes out of a dog, when in the previous sentence it mentions how Gogol spends his time with Gerald. WHAT? The language in this novel is by no means formal, but it is most definitely not causal either, or so I thought. The language in this novel instantly became casual in my mind when I read this. Doesn't this book seem like a novel to use the word "feces" or "excrement" instead?

The separation of a family :(

I didn't really find any aspects of the novel I could relate to in the first 4 chapters, however I did find something I relate to in chapter 7. When Ashoke had an unexpected heart attack and died very soon after, that reminded me of something that happened in my family not too long ago. Around the end of August I went camping in Western Ontario, then when I came home my mom told me that her mother had a stroke a day and a half earlier. This shocked me since my grandmother never really had anything physically wrong with her body, which was exceptionally surprising considering the fact that she was in her mid 80s. Now, what really allowed me to connect with the novel is the fact that nobody in the Ganguli family could help Ashoke since he was far away from the rest of his family. My grandmother had always lived in Victoria, which is the very far Western part of Canada. We couldn't do anything to help or save her, and the event ended the same way it did for Ashoke. Sometimes life happens and it sucks, but there's nothing you, or anyone else can do about it. 


Overall, my opinion on this novel has most definitely changed from chapters 1-4, and I believe that the book is more interesting than before, however I still don't overly like it due to some previously mentioned reasons. A concept I enjoy about The Namesake is how true and relatable it can be to so many people of many diverse cultures. I wish the novel would include more information on Sonia just to see if she is as different/separate from the classic Bengali culture as Gogol is. All that was mentioned is that she moved to California. Is she in any relationships? Are her relationships with other Bengali men? What does she get involved with in California? What is she studying? How often does she come home? I understand that Gogol is the main character of the story, but the novel really did only seem to focus on the male characters of the book.... Ashoke and Gogol.... Ashima's grandfather.... when Ashima's mother died there was hardly anything said about it! Now, I'm not here to accuse the author, but I believe that this novel could include more details about the female characters so then readers, such as myself, don't believe it is a novel that is an example of feminist criticism! Honestly though, I am truly excited to continue reading this novel and to see where it heads! Leave your opinions down below, and thanks for reading :)

Works Cited

Abstract Heart Beats Cardiogram Illustration Sign Sex Written with Glowing Letters. Digital image. Illustration. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2016.

Burned Dinner Related Keywords. Digital image. Burned Dinner. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2016.

Digital image. Funny Swear Jar. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2016.

Havaianas Flip Flops 4 555px.png. Digital image. Havaianas Flip Flops 4 SVG. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2016.

I Blew Up At My Wife And Now I'm Separated. Digital image. Marriage. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2016.

Polar Opposites. Digital image. Polar Opposites T-Shirt. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2016.