What is meant by the word "namesake" in "The Namesake"? Accessed 18 Jan. 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Ashoke and Ashima's relationship doesn't show their affection for each other. They allow Sonia and. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. As was typical of the left-bank Ukrainian gentry of the early nineteenth century, the family spoke Ukrainian as well as Russian. In 1831, the first volume of Gogol's Ukrainian stories (Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka) was published, and met with immediate success. New York: New Directions. She passes over two pages filled only with the addresses of her daughter, and then her son. At school, kids constantly tease him about his name. She liked that hed changed his name from, unsatisfying, and she feels too sober, her discomfort growing. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Explain the significance of cultural aspects of identity in The Namesake. "[47], Despite his portrayal of Jewish characters, Gogol left a powerful impression even on Jewish writers who inherited his literary legacy. He was not popular among his schoolmates, who called him their "mysterious dwarf", but with two or three of them he formed lasting friendships. This is different than his parents, who are primarily only friends with other Bengali immigrants. While visiting the capitals, he stayed with friends such as Mikhail Pogodin and Sergey Aksakov. But it seems perfectly natural in the story that he and his cohorts be drowned in the Dniper by the Cossack lords. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. I think that Gogol begins to move back into his family's life because he feels guilty after his father's death. It took enormous efforts to save Andreyev's original work from destruction; as of 2014[update] it stands in front of the house where Gogol died. parents invite close to 300 people, taking control of the planning of the wedding themselves. Dostoevsky appears to have had such a reading of the story in mind when he wrote. Gogol focuses his major creative occupation on the manners of his characters; his creative energy is nowhere more apparent than in the "mannerizing" in which he describes and characterizes. The comedy, a violent satire of Russian provincial bureaucracy, was staged thanks only to the intervention of the emperor, Nicholas I. And yet here he is, night after night, a welcome addition to the Ratliffs universe, doing just that. Gogol and Moushumi resemble each other in many ways. Gogol's father, Ashoke Ganguli, is the secondary character in which his acts play a very important role to this work, impacting Gogol's everyday life. Dont have an account? Gogol learns a lot from this connection, and his outlook on life, alters. For Sonia and, buys packs of six Bic razors, and even removes his wristwatch. Later, Gogol's father dies, and the unexpected happens. For this reason, he, is ignorant of their Indian heritage and culture, having been reared in the United States whereas, they were raised in India from birth. The relationship between Moushumi and Gogol is driven by Moushumi's desire which is greater even than Gogol's own, to confirm to a certain image of a modern American. His father tells him the story behind his name. He decides that it is her very familiarity that makes him curious about her, and as he begins to walk west, to the subway, he wonders when he might see her again. So, although he had once promised himself that he would never have a romantic relationship with another Bengali-American, he can't deny the connection he has with Moushumi. He cannot imagine them contributing to one of their dinner party conversations. Named after his father's beloved Russian author, he sees no identity in his name, which is neither Indian nor American nor even Russian 921 Words 4 Pages Good Essays Read More For example, at one time, he tells himself that he will never seek friendships or relationships with other Bengali-Americans. After an introductory lecture made up of brilliant generalizations which the 'historian' had prudently prepared and memorized, he gave up all pretence at erudition and teaching, missed two lectures out of three, and when he did appear, muttered unintelligibly through his teeth. | Certified Educator Gogol, as a child who was born and brought up in America, thinks that the arranged marriage . Maxine and Gogol's relationship becomes distressed as a result of Gogol suffering from remorse of being so wrapped up in his own affairs that he never fully valued the important things his father had to offer. They arrive at the beach when most families have already left, and, they know the other two Indian children at the schoolbut they do not. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. At the final examination, he sat in utter silence with a black handkerchief wrapped around his head, simulating a toothache, while another professor interrogated the students.[23]. The name Gogol was an important one to Ashoke, who adored Nikolai Gogols work. Before Gogol goes off to college at Yale, he decides to officially change his name from Gogol to Nikhil, this name change represents a maturation as he attempts to find his own identity. Like Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Gogol sharply disagreed with those Russians who preached constitutional monarchy and the disestablishment of the Orthodox Church. Amelia Glaser has noted the influence of Gogol's literary innovations on Sholem Aleichem, who, "chose to model much of his writing, and even his appearance, on Gogol What Sholem Aleichem was borrowing from Gogol was a rural East European landscape that may have been dangerous, but could unite readers through the power of collective memory. [44] Of all Gogol's stories, "The Nose" has stubbornly defied all abstruse interpretations: D.S. This is Gogol's response to Maxine's question, shortly after his father's death, regarding whether or not he still wants to go to New Hampshire with her family to celebrate New Year's Eve. . Shed been thirteen or so, doing her homework on her bed. Read More "Try to remember it always," he said once Gogol reached him, leading him slowly back across the breakwater, to where his mother and Sonia stood waiting. Eventually, Gogol decides to abide by his mother's wishes and go on a date with Moushumi, a family friend. Latest answer posted March 25, 2017 at 12:45:01 AM. Konstantinovsky seems to have strengthened in Gogol the fear of perdition (damnation) by insisting on the sinfulness of all his imaginative work. Gogol does not understand that part of his identity fully until after his father's death. 1229 Words5 Pages. Maxine and her parents represent what Gogol sees as the best of American culture: the interest in art and physical affection and relational openness that Gogol has never known with his own biological family. He explained this as a mistake, a practical joke played on him by the Devil. The name "Gogol" was an important one to Ashoke, who adored . As a result of Gogol's attraction to, Maxine's money and her family's way of life, which he perceives as secure in a manner his, parents would never be, she reflects his ambition to live an American lifestyle (, In the wake of Gogol's father's death, he is able to empathize with his parents, who had to, deal with the grief of losing their loved ones in a faraway nation. [36], The aspect under which the mature Gogol sees reality is expressed by the Russian word poshlost', which means something similar to "triviality, banality, inferiority", moral and spiritual, widespread in some group or society. They did not know that Dead Souls was but the first part of a planned modern-day counterpart to the Divine Comedy of Dante. They observe the traditional ten days of mourning, eating only rice and dal. Gogol, was born, the mishap with family back in India and the reasoning for his name will affect his life forever. How does the loss of Gogol's father turn him back toward his family? Gogol begins to grapple with how distant he has grown from his family roots. His father has not yet told him about the train accident, so he thinks he was named after Nikolai Gogol only because he is Ashoke's favorite author. Contact us He cannot imagine his parents sitting at Lydia and Geralds table, enjoying Lydias cooking, appreciating Geralds selection of wine. Sometimes in the apartment, visit Paris together, where Moushumi is presenting an academic paper. For this reason, he decides to name his son Gogol. When Gogol is born, the Gangulis meet other Bengali families with small children, and Ashima finds with the new baby that "perfect strangers, all Americans, suddenly take notice of her, smiling, congratulating her for what she's done." How, for all of us, do children change our place in the community, and what we expect from it? It is a place that has been good to them, as much a part of them as a member of the family. On leaving school in 1828, Gogol went to Saint Petersburg, full of vague but ambitious hopes. As soon as Ashoke dies, Gogol begins to remember all of the happy memories that he had shared with his father. In the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri there are many relationships portrayed throughout the story. The weather is gray, and. Gogol is a head strong American Bengali who is unsure of his place in society. Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake centers on the life of Gogol Ganguli. His relationship with Maxine was strong because he was . [20], At this time, Gogol developed a passion for Ukrainian Cossack history and tried to obtain an appointment to the history department at Saint Vladimir Imperial University of Kiev. Gogol and Moushumi's relationship moves quickly. The fact that she is so different from him is what attracts Gogol. Because youre Gogol.. When, her the news Ashima feels instinctively that her grandmother has died. Between 1832 and 1836, Gogol worked with great energy, and had extensive contact with Pushkin, but he still had not yet decided that his ambitions were to be fulfilled by success in literature. [19] A second volume was published in 1832, followed by two volumes of stories entitled Mirgorod in 1835, and two volumes of miscellaneous prose entitled Arabesques. The death of Gogol's father causes him to reevaluate his relationship with his family and to reconsider the part his parents and their culture have in shaping his identity. Get access to all 5 pages and additional benefits: Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. Gogol is also inspired by the design of the Taj Mahal when the family visits India together, when he is in high school. He does not have an interest in it because he has never been inspired to read Gogol. Gogol is the center of the novel, and it is his journey from childhood into young adulthood that the narrator tracks most closely. But now its become a joke to her. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. His first serious relationship is with a girl named Ruth. At Yale, Nikhil is able to pursue his love of architecture most directly, and this leads him to graduate study in New York, and a job at a firm there. Gogol regrets taking his fathers presence for granted. By morning, half the people in the room will have forgotten. For much of the twelve years from 1836, Gogol was in Italy, where he developed an adoration for Rome. the notes reflect the sometimes problematic relationship of the protagonist with his wife. You'll also receive an email with the link. He is presented with a plate full of soil, a pen, and a dollar bill. Ashimas father was a painter, and so visual art runs in the family. They start dating, and it's serious. How does the loss of Gogol's father turn him back toward his family? : , , , , . Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! He studied art, read Italian literature and developed a passion for opera. 4 chapters | His father assures Gogol that his son reminds him "of everything that followed. The leading novelists of the period notably Yevgeny Zamyatin and Mikhail Bulgakov also admired Gogol and followed in his footsteps. Living a relatively protected life in the United States, Gogol cannot begin to fathom where his father is coming from, and has thought of his father as a symbol of old fashioned cultural tradition. In April 1848, Gogol returned to Russia from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and passed his last years in restless movement throughout the country. He also dislikes the fact that he was named after Nikolai Gogol. Anyone could walk in. In particular, Gogol seems not to recognize that Maxine truly loves him, and wishes to know his familys practices in detail. As a child of immigrants, Gogol often feels foreign in America. His grave was marked by a large stone (Golgotha), topped by a Russian Orthodox cross. When Gogol's father dies he is reminded of his family's culture. It was adapted also for radio by Adam Beeson and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 24 December 2008[57] and subsequently rebroadcast on both Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra on Christmas Eve 2010, 2011 and 2015.[58]. Nabokov, Vladimir (2017) [1961]. The Beginning in August 2017. when he is with maxine, gogol fully integrates himself into maxine's familyliving with her parents, dining the way they dine, befriending the types of people they befriend, and reading what they read. [49] More recently, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Gogol's birth in 1809, Vienna's renowned Theater an der Wien commissioned music and libretto for a full-length opera on the life of Gogol from Russian composer and writer Lera Auerbach.[50]. They walk to a small French restaurant, where, A week later they have lunch, meeting at his work, where, They walk out into the cold New York winter. By contrast, Moushumi, who is of Gogols world, wants constantly to leave that world, to make a new, more intellectually rich life for herself among her cosmopolitan New York friends. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% Latest answer posted March 06, 2009 at 6:23:32 AM. Latest answer posted March 13, 2019 at 4:46:10 PM. "Gogol's Research on Ukrainian Customs for the Dikan'ka Tales". Gogol's relationships in The Namesake A namesake is someone or something that has the same name as another person or thing. The two decide to get married, and they have an elaborate Bengali-style ceremony. Inspired by the idea of planning a trip to Italy, kindly on this marriageBen makes Sonia happy in a way that Moushumi never did with. American culture and values, at the same time retaining his parents' Indian heritage and now is proud of his name Nikhil Gogol Ganguli and all it means. His name continues to be a source of frustration and confusion for many years. Like Sterne before him, Gogol was a great destroyer of prohibitions and of romantic illusions. Just two years later, in 1874, Tchaikovsky composed his version under the title Vakula the Smith (with Russian libretto by Yakov Polonsky) and revised it in 1885 as Cherevichki (The Tsarina's Slippers). She and Gogol never seem to relax into the idea that they might find their identity in one another and visit to dinner . Suddenly he regrets having ever told Moushumi; he wonders whether shell proclaim the story of his fathers accident to the table as well. [15][16], Gogol was born in the Ukrainian Cossack town of Sorochyntsi,[17] in the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire. baby namesthe names of Popes, nonsense namesand baby name books are passed around the table. Nikhil/Gogol Ganguli Timeline in The Namesake The sudden death of Ashima's husband and Gogol and Sonia's father, Ashoke Ganguli, is a drastic turning point in their life. The novel Taras Bulba (1835), the play Marriage (1842), and the short stories "The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich", "The Portrait" and "The Carriage", are also among his best-known works. [65] The episodes were also released theatrically starting with Gogol. Without a single grandparent or parent or uncle or aunt at her side, the babys birth, like most everything else in America, feels somehow haphazard, only half true. Let us know your assignment type and we'll make sure to get you exactly the kind of answer you need. The closest intimacy they share before their wedding is when Ashima steps briefly, secretly, into Ashoke's shoes. house down a remote dirt road and find Gerald and Lydia, lounging with their books. Throughout the novel, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, the character Gogol changes in many different ways. Clearly, Maxine was just a symbol of unmet desires to become an American. 20 March]1809[1] 4 March[O.S. Please wait while we process your payment. A suicide had been committed, a person had jumped in front of the train . Early life. Gogol views his relationship with Maxine as the height of his "American-ness" so far in his life. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. The way the content is organized. After years of clandestine relationships, it felt refreshing to court in a fishbowl, to have the support of her parents from the very start, the inevitability of an unquestioned future, of marriage, drawing them along. She wonders if she is the only woman in her family ever to have betrayed her husband, to have been unfaithful. are tourists from the West. His father had been reading a book by him one day while he was on a train in between the two cities Calcutta and Jamshedpur. As Gogol drives Ashoke's rental car to the rental office of his apartment building, he wonders if a man outside the building mistakes him for his father. $24.99 It strikes him that there is no term for what they once were to each other. He has merged his identity with theirs. Maxine and Gogol part ways. It stunned Gogol when critics interpreted The Government Inspector as an indictment of tsarism despite Nicholas I's patronage of the play. Gogol's relationship with his father is struggling. Jhumpa Lahiri and The Namesake Background. "Christmas Eve" was also adapted into a film in 1961 entitled The Night Before Christmas. Not to be confused with. [citation needed] Soon thereafter, he took to bed, refused all food, and died in great pain nine days later. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. His relationship with Maxine was . 1 Namesake Student Name Institution Professor Course Date 2 Relationship between Gogol and the Gogol attends a night party with his co-worker, Evan. Gogol's relationship with Moushumi was based on secrets and their way of not being more open with each other. He comes to hate the name Gogol, embarrassed by its unique oddity. . Gogol's short story "The Portrait" is being made into a feature film The Portrait by fine artists Anastasia Elena Baranoff and Elena Vladimir Baranoff.[59][60][61][62][63][64]. She asks. eNotes Editorial, 22 Mar. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Some critics have paid attention to the apparent anti-Semitism in Gogol's writings, as well as in those of his contemporary, Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Based on this work, Vladimir Nabokov published a summary account of Gogol's masterpieces.[42]. Gogol was mourned in the Saint Tatiana church at the Moscow University before his burial and then buried at the Danilov Monastery, close to his fellow Slavophile Aleksey Khomyakov. Above all, Yankel is ridiculous, and the image of the plucked chicken that Gogol used has made the rounds of great Russian authors. Gogol was born in the Ukrainian Cossack town of Sorochyntsi, in the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire.His mother was descended from Leonty Kosyarovsky, an officer of the Lubny Regiment in 1710. "[43] Critics traditionally interpreted "The Overcoat" as a masterpiece of "humanitarian realism", but Nabokov and some other attentive readers argued that "holes in the language" make the story susceptible to interpretation as a supernatural tale about a ghostly double of a "small man". Much of Moushumi's wedding garb had been purchased for her canceled wedding to Graham. Gogol, page 182. when she was fourteen. The thought is comforting to him. Because he grew up hating his name, he associated his name with his heritage and in turn grew to hate his family's traditions. By "Indian ness" I mean the amount of his parents Bengali ways and traditions that he retained. At times he feels as if hes cast himself in a play, acting the part of twins, indistinguishable to the naked eye yet fundamentally different. Maxine comes from an extremely wealthy family, and she seems to be the opposite of the type of girl Gogol's parents would want him to date and marry. Gogol tells the hospital to send his father's ashes home, and is shown the bed where he died. They marry within the year. The authorities moved the Golgotha stone to the new gravesite, but removed the cross; in 1952 the Soviets replaced the stone with a bust of Gogol. | Nothing to signify the years his family has lived here, no evidence of the effort, the achievement it had been. A bird begins to call. She begins to comfort, no time to find a good name, they get an express passport with the name, When Ashima does leave the house, it is to wander around the university campus with, crossing the ocean with a single suitcase each. Very early he developed a dark and secretive disposition, marked by a painful self-consciousness and boundless ambition. We will take a look on how they impacted his life both in the book and the movie. again with Moushumi. But these cartoons have a convincingness, a truthfulness, and inevitability attained as a rule by slight but definitive strokes of unexpected reality that seems to beggar the visible world itself. This is mostly due to the feeling that he is caught between his parents' world and his own. This is what upsets her most to admit: that the affair causes her to feel strangely at peace, the complication of it calming her, structuring her day. for a group? When Gogol asks his father, when he is college, whether the name Gogol reminds Ashoke of nearly dying, Ashoke counters that Gogol is for him a name of hope, of joyof life. If he picks the dollar, he will be a businessman. As if that time were a name hed ceased to use. For as grateful as she feels for the company these acquaintances are only substitutes for the people who really ought to be surrounding them. Renews January 24, 2023 ", The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich, Saint Vladimir Imperial University of Kiev, Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, "Gogol: russe et ukrainien en mme temps", "Gogol's eloquentia corporis: Einverleibung, Identitaet und die Grenzen der Figuration by Natasha Drubek-Meyer", "The Nationalism of Nikolai Gogol': Betwixt and Between? copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. As a result he starts to reconnect with his family, something that is causing him to question his lifestyle. Gogol's marriage and . has read the books she brought dozens of times by the end of their stay. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. What does Gogol's relationship with Maxine and her family illustrate about his relationship with his parents How do pages 125-127 highlight how Gogol avoids "remain[ing] unquestionably" (p. 126 . Ashoke is about to explain the story behind Gogol's name but at the last moment . and so he and Ashima decide that the family will spend eight months in Calcutta. Nothing is locked, not the main house, or the cabin that he and Maxine sleep in. Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake, which was originally published in The New Yorker, follows the life and transformation of Gogol Ganguli. Open Document. Despite their father and son relationship which . As she becomes more responsive, Monu and Mithupass away. Gogol was one of the first to use the technique of the grotesque, in works such as "The Nose", "Viy", "The Overcoat", and "Nevsky Prospekt". When Gogol asks his father, when he is college, whether the name Gogol reminds Ashoke of nearly dying, Ashoke counters that "Gogol" is for him a name of hope, of joyof life. After changing his name, Gogol finds himself in a series of relationships. on 50-99 accounts. He returns to bed, squeezing in beside Maxines warm, sleeping body, and drapes his arm around her narrow waist, fits his knees behind hers. This cultural disorientation is actually realized when Moushumi breaks off her relationship with the American Graham. SparkNotes PLUS How does Ashima try to make over her home in Cambridge to remind her of what she has left behind in Calcutta? Why do you think their love affair can't survive Gogol's grief? He bought all the copies and destroyed them, swearing never to write poetry again. [40] Nevertheless, subsequent generations of radical critics celebrated Gogol (the author in whose world a nose roams the streets of the Russian capital) as a great realist, a reputation decried by the Encyclopdia Britannica as "the triumph of Gogolesque irony". Happy Friday Scholars, Second week of August, week six of The Namesake and for many of you one more week of summer school.Great work everyone! Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. View Relationship between Gogol and the fathergg.edited.docx from BCOM 425 at Kisii University. Instead, Lahiris narrator focuses on Gogols life with three women: Ruth in college, Maxine in New York, and, finally, Moushumi, his wife. It is as if a building hed been responsible for designing had collapsed for all to see. He intensified his relationship with a starets or spiritual elder, Matvey Konstantinovsky, whom he had known for several years. Yet the thought of this eventual demise provides no sense of victory, no solace. It was there that he began writing. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Gogols transformation is marked in at least three ways. Like Gogol, Moushumi is Bengali-American. At the rice ceremony, an infant Gogol experiences an important Indian tradition that predicts his future path in life. In the book The Namesake, Gogol was named after a Russian author, Nikolai Gogol. Sadly, the marriage comes to an end. Why would he do this? Wed love to have you back! They date for a while in college, while Gogol is studying architecture. The stories adapted were "The Two Ivans", "The Overcoat", "Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt", "The Nose", "The Mysterious Portrait" and "Diary of a Madman". Teachers and parents! Words: 403 Length: 1 Pages Topic: Literature Paper #: 60213251. Despite having clear instruction from his father that Gogol would be addressed by his good name "Nikhil", an incident during Gogol's first year in school forced the hands of Ashima and Ashoke to abolish their standard of culture and abide by the rules of the American education system. In 1841, the first part of Dead Souls was ready, and Gogol took it to Russia to supervise its printing. His name has always caused him a lot of frustration, so before college, he decides to change his name to Nikhil. What are the themes of "The Namesake" and explain how they are significant to the title. She has never known of a person entering the world so alone, so deprived. Suddenly, Ashoke has an idea, and reaches out to his son, calling him, Three days later, everyone has returned to work as usual, and Ashima is alone with, sons development, telling them that she and Ashoke are planning a trip to India after, brides, sharing recipes to approximate Indian dishes and discussing Indian politics, music, and movies. More than 135 films[51] have been based on Gogol's work, the most recent being The Girl in the White Coat (2011). His principal work during the years following Pushkin's death was the satirical epic Dead Souls. Quoted by Vasily Gippius in his monograph. But Gogol is attached to them. Ruth was Gogol's first real girlfriend who he went to . They break up after about a year together after realizing that they no longer love each other. The academic venture proved a disaster: He turned in a performance ludicrous enough to warrant satiric treatment in one of his own stories. Gogol is Gogol, of course, because his father and mother needed a name for him before leaving the hospital. The magazines he sent it to almost universally derided it. Gogol's impact on Russian literature has endured, yet various critics have appreciated his works differently. is poured into a fire that the hotels management will not allow to be lit. The three women he had a relationship with were Ruth, Maxine Ratliff, and Moushumi Mazoomdar. The idea of returning year after year to a single place appeals to Gogol deeply. The stone was later reused for the tomb of Gogol's admirer Mikhail Bulgakov. [28], In 1931, Moscow authorities decided to demolish the monastery and had Gogol's remains transferred to the Novodevichy Cemetery. creating and saving your own notes as you read. At the party, . When Gogol was born, his great-grandmother from India has the obligation of naming him. The family seems to possess every piece of the landscape, not only the house itself but every tree and blade of grass. And yet the familiarity that had once drawn her to him has begun to keep her at bay. She tries to hide this from, unable at first to find it in the mess of books shared by her and, telling herself she is reconnecting with an old friend, but keeping it a secret from. Despite the support of Alexander Pushkin and Sergey Uvarov, the Russian minister of education, the appointment was blocked by a bureaucrat on the grounds that Gogol was unqualified.
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