Motif of Names

In Jhumpas Lahairi's The Namesake it becomes evident that Gogol never fully belongs as Gogol or Nikhil. Gogol retains conflict regarding his name throughout the novel. Belonging is the fundamental nature of humans to connect with others. Names and naming and his name are a constant source of difficulty for Gogol. Names are closely linked to identity and can help or hinder a sense of belonging. However in Gogol's circumstance he struggles to fit in both the America society and his Bengali home as he feels his name does not belong in either culture. The motif of naming causes Gogol to have difficulty in relationships with women and is a catalyst for the cultural and family conflict he experiences. Yet when Gogol acquires the new name "Nikhil" ironically complicates his sense of identity and so struggles to find a sense of belonging.

The motif of naming is used throughout The Namesake to represent the connection between belonging and identity. As Gogol ages his name represents the way in which he does not "fit" into American society. Lahiri uses the motif device to emphasise the connections between a name, culture and identity. The Bengali tradition of pet names, or daknam and "good" names, or bhalonam becomes apparent. Only close family uses the pet name in the privacy of the home, while the "good" name is used in formal situations like work. Ashima and Ashoke have to give their son a pet name as they wait for the "good" name suggestions to arrive from Ashima's grandmother, but the letter from Calcutta never comes. The quote "one day the peculiarity of his name becomes apparent" foreshadows the complex relationship Gogol will begin to have with his name as he matures.

Gogol has mixed feelings about his name and identity as an Indian-American. He is comfortable with his name as a young boy but his last name is the cause of a variety or reactions. The contrast between Gogol's reaction to his name when, on going to India: "He remembers the astonishment of seeing six pages full of Gangulis...He'd wanted to rip the page out as a souvenir" with the anguish he feels when their name on the letterbox at 67 Pemberton Road is vandalised to spell "Gang Green". These two incidents show how Gogol isolated in both India and America as he does not appear to fit in at either place. From and early stage in the novel, it is evident that Gogol has an inability to accept his dual cultural heritage. "He hates that his name is both absurd and obscure" and "that it is neither Indian nor American but of all things Russian." The negative diction of the word 'hate' is repeated to show his insecurity of being different and that he has little understanding of his identity. He feels like he neither belongs to either of his dual cultures. Gogol's name therefore acts as an extended metaphor for his sense of cultural identity.

Gogol's school trip helps forge a sense of belonging to his name and highlights the conflict that occurs around his name. It had "not occurred to Gogol that names die over time that they perish just as people do." Names in this instance are personified by Lahiri. Gogol becomes "attached to" these names imprinted on paper. These American names are unusual, like his, and so Gogol feels connected to them. Yet these names are of the past and have little effect on his insecurity