Literature Analysis 2

1. The Namesake  by Jhumpa Lahiri describes the struggles and hardships of a Bengali who immigrate to the United States to form a life from everything they are accustomed to.  The story begins as Ashoke and Ashima leave Calcutta, India and settle in Central Square, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Through a series of errors, their son's nickname, Gogol, becomes his official birth name, an event which will shape many aspects of his life.  Gogol has to deal with the problems of immigration and being an Indian kid growing up in America.

2.  There are a couple themes in this novel one is idenity.  The American born  Gogol wants an American life. He changes his name to fight for that and rebels against his culture.  The other theme was pressure because Gogol and Sonia feel pressure from their parents to marry Indian people.

3. The tone of The Namesake is very serious and throughout the story the author is trying to compare two different cultures.  The main character Gogol reflects on his life and tells us all the difficult decisions he had to make growing up, but that's what shaped him as an adult.

4. Jhumpa Lahiri uses imagery, by having Gogol describe his memories and painting a vivid picture of his loving parents who tried to lead him down the right way in life.  The author also uses flashbacks when the main character talks about his memories throughout the story.  Personification is used because Gogol voice is compared to that of a Husky. Another literary technique that is used is foreshadowing, because Gogol says that he lived most of his life outside his homeland, just like me.  The last technique was irony and the author used that to describe Gogol's life.  Calcutta, India and settle in Central Square, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Through a series of errors, their son's nickname, Gogol, becomes his official birth name, an event which will shape many aspects of his life.  Gogol has to deal with the problems of immigration and being an Indian kid growing up in America.