What is the main idea of the namesake?
Identity and Naming As its title suggests, at its core The Namesake tackles the question of forming one’s own identity, and explores the power that a name can carry. Gogol’s decision to change his name to Nikhil before leaving home for college demonstrates his desire to take control over his own identity.
How does Gogol’s definition of home change throughout the story?
Gogol definition of home changes all the time as he experiences all the difficulties of finding himself and fitting in. His Indian and American culture’s pull him into different directions as to where he should belong.
What is the one complication about Gogol Nikhil’s new name?
(Lahiri 99) However, one complication with his new name of Nikhil is that “he doesn’t feel like Nikhil”. (Lahiri 105) Gogol is not used to his new name yet because he has been used to be called Gogol for so long.
Why is Gogol angry with parents?
Gogol Ganguli doesn’t understand his father’s statement, and, after Ashoke leaves, Gogol stores the book in a corner of his room and forgets about it. Gogol and Sonia are upset, as they will miss school, their American friends, and the comforts of their life in Massachusetts.
Why do Gogol and Maxine break up?
She and Gogol break up after the death of his father, when he is pulled back toward his family and begins to feel that she is an outsider, refusing to allow her to accompany them to India for Ashoke’s funeral.
What name does moushumi use after they marry?
Gogol jokingly calls Moushumi Mrs. Ganguli—since they both know she will keep her maiden name, Mazoomdar.
How old is Gogol when Ashima becomes pregnant with Sonia?
five years
How does Ashoke die?
The hospital official tells Ashima they have been trying to reach her directly, and that Ashoke has died in the hospital, of a heart attack. The administrator uses the word “expired,” which Ashima’s associates not with death but with the library books she handles at her job.
Why does Gogol change his name to Nikhil?
“Gogol” makes Gogol feel like a child. Thus Gogol changes his name, officially, not to change how the world sees him, but to help change how he sees himself. He changes his name as part of a larger process of personal transformation and growth.
Who is Sonia in the namesake?
Sonia Ganguli : Sonia is Gogol’s sister. She does not appear much in the story, but when she does, she often serves as a contrast to Gogol. As a baby, she is given only one name and is labeled the “true American.” Also unlike Gogol, she moves rather far away from her family.
Who is the antagonist in the namesake?
Moushumi
Who wrote the namesake?
Jhumpa Lahiri
Who is the main character in namesake?
Ashoke
What is Gogol’s last name in the namesake?
(Nikhil) Ganguli
What is the setting of the namesake?
The novel begins in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1968. Ashima Ganguli, expecting a child, makes a snack for herself in the kitchen of her apartment, which she shares with her husband, Ashoke. The two met in Calcutta, where their marriage was arranged by their parents.
What does Gogol mean?
Polish, Ukrainian, and Jewish (from Ukraine): from Ukrainian gogol ‘wild duck’, ‘mallard’, a nickname denoting a wildfowler or acquired on account of some other association with the bird. The Jewish name may be ornamental.
Who is Gogol named after?
Nikolai Gogol
Who wrote Dead Souls?
Was Taras Bulba a real person?
Taras Dmytrovych Borovets (Ukrainian: Тарас Дмитрович Борове́ць; March 9, 1908 – May 15, 1981) was a Ukrainian resistance leader and allegedly a Holocaust perpetrator during World War II. He is better known as Taras Bulba-Borovets after his nom de guerre Taras Bulba.
What did Cossacks eat?
Salamakha and millet grits were the main dishes of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. The potato is the most widely used vegetable in Ukrainian cooking. It is a necessary ingredient in all soups, particularly borsch and cabbage soup.
What did Cossacks wear?
In uniform The Don troops wore a chekmen (cloth kaftan), grey-blue trousers with a red stripe (width 1.5-2 inches), boots or nogovitsy, as well as a bashlyk (woolen hood), winter chekmen, and a fur hat or papakha.
What weapons did Cossacks use?
The arms of the Cossacks consisted of rifles, pistols, pistolettes, bows, sabers, spears, battle-hammers (kelepy), and battle-picks (chekany). In contrast to Western European armies, the Cossack Host used no defensive arms such as the helmet or armor.
What war tactics were first developed by the Cossacks?
The Cossacks were the first group to develop what would today be called guerilla warfare tactics.
What language did the Cossacks speak?
Ukrainian