As I did some research on Jhumpa Lahiri for my datasheet, I was struck by the similarities between her life and the lives of the characters she creates in The Namesake, especially Gogol. First of all, since Lahiri was born in 1967 and Gogol was born very close to this year, the two experience similar cultures and eras growing up in America. Lahiri, from the age of three grew up in America with two Bengali American parents and just like Gogol, Lahiri considers herself to be an American. Lahiri recalls that as a child her mother diligently tried to expose her to their Bengali heritage and likewise, her family frequently took trips back to Calcutta to visit relatives. This experience growing up as a Bengali American perfectly parallels Gogol’s childhood in the novel. Similar to Gogol’s conversation with Candace Lapidus, when Lahiri started kindergarten, her teacher decided to call her by her pet name because her good name was too difficult to pronounce. Lahiri once stated, “I always felt so embarrassed by my name…You feel like you’re causing someone pain by just being who you are.” Lahiri mirrors her own feelings towards her name with Gogol’s thoughts regarding his own name. As I researched, I was so happy to see that Lahiri’s own life tied into the experiences and events of the book. In my opinion, a book that is based off a true story or a real life occurrence is much more impactful for a reader. A fiction book seems inspirational and moving while I read it but it does not have the same lasting effect of a nonfiction novel. Nonfiction novels have a longer lasting impression because the story is true and there is actually a person who faced the great tragedy in the book or who overcame the adversity. For example, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Angela’s Ashes, and Three Cups of Tea all stick with me for a long time because it is very motivational that the author depicts a person’s own life. On the other hand, in novels like The Namesake, Lahiri can create any situation she wants in order to engineer the perfect story for readers: Lahiri can cause Moushumi to admit she cheated on Gogol as the two travel to spend a weekend together, she can create the train accident that Ashoke lived through, and she can manufacture all the details associated with the Ganguli’s acclimation to America. Nonfiction novels impact me as I read them and I am definitely influenced by the message that the author wants to convey, but I feel that these messages are more ephemeral than those from a nonfiction novel. Therefore, I was pleased to see the similarities that exist between Lahiri and Gogol because now The Namesake will impact me more as I realize that the basis of the story comes from a real person—Jhumpa Lahiri.
Thomas, I also felt excitement when I realized the striking similarities between Lahiri’s life and the fictional life of Gogol. Although I enjoy fiction books very much, I can see why you find the messages in nonfiction books more meaningful, and to a certain extend I do as well since I feel I must be able to relate to a character to find deeper meaning. But even if Lahiri’s life did not serve as the basis for The Namesake, I feel I would have appreciated the book’s message all the same since Lahiri constructed her novel to reflect real life accurately and I can easily relate to multiple characters.
ReplyDeleteThomas, even though you say that non-fiction books seem to be more meaningful, I felt many connections to Gogol in The Namesake. In our class discussions, we often condemn Gogol for acting so dependently on others, especially with Maxine and Moushumi. However, we sometimes fail to realize that we, ourselves are not always such strong people. Gogol's inner conflict of himself vs. his parents would be extremely difficult to deal with living in a country like America, because the cultural barrier is much too great. The fact that Gogol felt a stronger connection to Maxine's parents is very understandable, considering how he and they both grew up completely immersed in the American culture, unlike Gogol's parents.
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