The Spectrum of Heterogeneous Cultures in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake
Abstract:
For an Indian, whether outsider or insider culture is his/, her identity and identity is culture. The Namesake is about the dilemma of the Ganguli family to choose between American and Indian culture. Ashok and Ashima being a first-generation immigrant could not adjust to the American culture. While their children being a second-generation could not understand their parents' belongingness and attachments to the Indian culture. These two heterogeneous cultures psychologically affect the identity of the characters. Being India born, Ashoke and Ashima are emotionally attached to the Indian culture.
Furthermore, their sudden migration to America psychologically affects them. Ashima in America is unable to adapt to the new culture. The novel is a depiction of the attitude and behaviour of immigrants towards the culture of the host country. America is a multicultural nation, and being Indians, his parents do not acknowledge the relationship of Gogol with Maxine. The present paper aims to study the impacts of heterogeneous cultures on the identity of the characters. Ashima is disturbed while delivering a child and struggles because of language and new culture. Ashok after train accident attached himself with the Russian writer Nikolai Gogol and after him, he names his son who later created difficulties for Gogol. Living in an American way of life, Gogol is mentally disturbed for his alternate/pet name. The conflict of cultures between Gogol and his parents emotionally and physically takes Gogol away from his parents. Ashima is exiled and feels culturally alienated. Being an Indian woman, she is unable to physically and mentally assimilate herself with American culture. Gogol though born in America has some attachments with his India-born parents and renames as Nikhil. Moreover, after his father, Ashok's death marries an Indian origin girl. In one way or other, the culture of India mentally affects the Ganguli family.
Keywords: Culture, migration, aloofness, self-realisation, cultural belongingness
Introduction
Lahiri's novel the Namesake revolves around the Ganguli family and their life in the American multicultural environment. Ashoke, a young man, who earlier left his homeland Calcutta and migrated to America with his wife Ashima in order to provide himself and his children a better future. Ashima, a typical Bengali woman, migrates to America with her husband soon after her marriage. She falls in a cultural dilemma and finds herself in struggle due to cultural and language barriers. The phenomena of leaving behind their own culture are not accessible. Gogol faced an identity crisis early in life because of his name. Holding onto a single cultural identity becomes very painful for Gogol and Ashima. The characters face identity crisis not only for immigrant identity but also cultural factors created unwelcomed questions. American culture and Bengali-Indian culture are diverse in terms of family, home and way of life. In the foreign system, Indian people crave for their cultural roots to which they imbibed emotionally and mentally. Homi K. Bhabha in “Cultural Diversity and Cultural Differences” noted that "the problem of the cultural emerges only at the significatory boundaries of cultures, where meanings and values are (mis)read or signs are misappropriated…" (Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin 206).
Bengali Tradition of Pet Name v/s American Tradition of Naming
Culture furnishes identity and character in a more specific way. The Bengali culture differentiates itself from other cultures, mainly from American culture in an adequate approach where the Ganguli's live. Ashoke and Ashima are stick to their Bengali tradition and culture. Giving a pet name or alternate name, to be used only by family mates and relatives in private, is a commonly accepted conventional Bengali family. The pet name is to be determined by the elder family members, particularly grandmother. Lahiri has elucidated this broadly accepted practice of Bengali culture amply, “Besides, there are always pet names to tide one over a practice of Bengali nomenclature grants, to every single person, two names” (25). This practice in Bengali culture is known as ‘daknam’ meaning “the name by which one is called, by friends, family, and other intimates, at home and in other private, unguarded moments” (26).
Ashoke has written a letter to grandmother intended to inform them about Ashima and their son and asked to suggest a name for a freshly born baby. After four days, Ashima and baby are discharged and free to leave for home but not without naming their son, according to the hospital rules. Four days had already spent; however, no letter arrived from India. Mr Wilcox suggested them to name him after one's name or from the ancestors. He further justified the tradition, “It is a fine tradition. The kings of France and England did it” (28). Ashima and Ashoke did not show any interest and convinced themselves that this American-cultural tradition could not impress them. They could not accept that tradition very early; instead, they rejected saying, "This tradition does not exist for Bengalis, naming a son after father or grandfather, a daughter after mother or grandmother” (28). At the very beginning of the novel, it reveals that the Gangulis do not find themselves comfortable in this American tradition and cultural beliefs. That seems ridiculous to them. They rejected it and named their son Gogol from the name of Russian author Nikolai Gogol. It unfolds that the struggle of immigrants and cultural clashes starts very early with names, which orient them to one’s own culture.
The loneliness of Ashima and Preservation of Culture
Ashima is born and brought up in a joint traditional Bengali family. So the American milieu becomes isolated and bizarre to her. In this disparate culture, she always seeks the accompaniment of her family and Bengali culture. In loneliness and emotional disappointment, she often repeatedly reads Bengali short stories and magazines in order to soothe herself in a strange land. Ashima ruminates that motherhood in a distant land is not easy for her. She is bothered about nurturing Gogol in America, and thus she verbalised her anxiety to Ashoke" I am saying hurry up and finish your degree. I am saying I do not want to raise Gogol alone in this country. It is not right. I want to go back.” (33)The most appealing thing in this novel is the character's sufferings and deviations in their view/vision of life. Ashima was unaware of the fact that she is not the only Bengali immigrant in America, but a lot of Bengalis are living. After Gogol's birth, Ashok and Ashima befriend with a lot of Bengali people who resides in the nearby area.
Moreover, they started throwing parties to those Bengalis in order to discard their loneliness. After some time they arranged Rice ceremony of Gogol for the perpetuation of the culture. Leaving behind their own culture and living in an unaccustomed and strange culture is not easy for emigrants. Culture is of paramount importance for everyone, whether American or Indian. Migrants face troubles and several limitations when two different cultures clash. The things which are considered regular and routine in one could become limitations or restraints in the other. And so happens with Ashima in this particular novel. She sings to Gogol the Bengali songs which her mother had sung to her. Earlier, before leaving Calcutta, she was warned by her parents and other relatives for the conservation of their culture: “not to eat beef or wear skirts or cut off her hair or forget her family the moment she landed in Boston” (37). A seeming comparison is drawn in order to highlight the generation gap. Ashima was told not to cut off hair, but her daughter Sonia did cut off her.
Ashoke, Gogol and Cultural Attachments
Ashoke names his son after Russian author's name as he has some attachments with this name. During the rail accident, he was saved because of the book of Gogol he held with him. Gogol’s struggles started very early. He felt tied up with his parents and their culture of origin. Gogol wants to live a life in America and the American manner, but his name has become a hurdle as it connects him not with American identity but with his parents’ cultural roots. All this sort of things psychologically affected him. Earlier, during his school life, Gogol has disapproved his official name ‘Nikhil’. Gogol though American born citizen yet feels alienation only because of his name. He learns in his class about his namesake ‘Gogol’which links him neither to American nor to Indian but Russian origin. He learns about "Gogol's lifelong unhappiness, his mental instability, about how he had starved himself to death” (100). After learning this, Gogol gets irritated from his name. Ashoke suggested that then he should change his name. "In America, anything is possible. Do as you wish” (100). Gogol then changes his name in order to break the rope that tied him somewhere and feel praiseworthy. Gogol specifies the reason to change the name before the judge, which he never asked his parents, “I hate the name Gogol, I have always hated it” (102).
Furthermore, he moves to Yale as a freshman where no knows his old identity. Gogol felt mentally affected by Gogol the author's identity. He felt as if the author's culture had colonised him.
Gogol’s Aloofness and Existence
Gogol, after changing name, started living with his girlfriend Maxine however it offered no help. Gogol endeavours to assimilate in the American way of life failed. The cultural conflicts separated Gogol from his parents emotionally and physically. Gogol flopped in blending into the American way of life with Maxine. Maxine's cultural roots are different one from that of Gogol's, and she underestimated the latter's cultural heritage and his attachment with the family. The diversity in culture and thinking separated them. Moushumi, on the other hand, struggled through cultural barriers. Graham never respected the Indian way of life and cultural heritage.
Furthermore, Moushumi no longer expects anything from Graham, so she better has chosen to leave him. The relationships rely on both sides, and if one fails, the relations can no longer be. The similarity between them is that both are Bengali and have faced identity crises due to their names, and they are childhood friends. Generally, Gogol does not like if anyone enquires about his name and its significance. Nevertheless, this time he explains when asked, “Actually that is my middle name, Nikhil is my first name. It got left out for some reason” (151). For several times, Gogol felt anxiety exposing his name. Some similarities made them close enough to make up a good relationship. His mother's encouragement resulted in their marriage after one year of the relationship. Gogol learns about Moushumi’s affair with Dimitri which separated them very early after their marriage. Some cultural uneasiness and diverse mind-set preferences played an essential role in their separation. They realise that they do not find in each other what they had thought. Cultural demands vary from people to people. If they cannot fulfil any requirement, the consequences may result in adverse impact.
Some sudden 'accidents' in his life, namely his father's demise and his early separation from Moushumi left him in perpetual aloofness. Ashima feels that Moushumi is never given happiness to Gogol. "That it was she who had encouraged Gogol to meet Moushumi would be something for Ashima will always feel guilty” (276). Sonia’s wedding planned after Ashima will live for some time with her brother in Calcutta and for some with her daughter in America. All friends, ‘mashis’ and ‘meshos’-connections of Ashima and Ashoke will disappear after the last party given from Ashima.
Moreover, together they made family- a Bengali family. There will be no one to call him Gogol, and with all these, his identity as Gogol and his connections with Bengali culture might vanish. Lahiri indicates the cultural significance of the name ‘Gogol’ which Ashoke had given to his son.
Self-realisation and Culture
All immigrants long for their respective cultural roots, and they show enthusiasm to cling as tightly as possible to their cultural belongingness. They do not hate the cultures of the host country, but through the time they attempt to assimilate gradually into the culture. “She refuses to be so far from the place where her husband made his life, the country in which he died” (183). Initially, Ashima is not comfortable in American culture, "For being a foreigner, Ashima is beginning to realise, is a sort of lifelong pregnancy- a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts” (49). Ashima realises all those things of which she has been refusing for many years. “Now I know why he went to Cleveland. He was teaching me how to live alone” (183). She started accepting things and the American way of lifestyle and culture as well. By the time she learns and accepts all which she thought might struggle her. She feels sad and responsible for the early separation of his son and daughter-in-law. “It reminds her of their life together, of an unexpected life, in choosing to marry her, had given her here, which she had refused for many years to accept.” (280). However, she knows the cultural and generation gap between them and their children is more than that of their culture. Gogol heard the name ‘Dimitri’ from Moushumi which broken their relationship. “And for the first time in his life, another man’s name upset Gogol more than his own” (283). Gogol also realises cultural affection which his parents had towards their culture. Eventually, he learns that he has refused many things one by one which his parents’ culture given him. Gogol reminds the visits and trips of that his parents to their country, which seems to him insufficient “leaving their respective families behind, seeing them so seldom” (281). Gogol is affected deeply, “The givers and keepers of Gogol’s name are far from him now. One dead. Another, a widow, on the verge of a different sort of departure, in order to dwell, as his father does, in a separate world” (289). Gogol's utter loneliness comes to the surface when his mother is going far, "It is hard to believe that his mother is going, that for months she will be so far” (281). He knows that once everything is changed, there will be no sign and evidence of his family's and their cultural existence. Gogol relates his life with his parents. They lived in this alien and strange land for years, kept their culture alive and sacrificed many things of which they were unaware. "Gogol knows now that his parents had lived their lives in America despite what was missing, with a stamina he fears he does not possess” (281).
Many of the characters in this novel become anxious about their cultural tie up and identity. This nervousness and unease about their selves make them struggle in connecting cultures and identities. In an essay, "Cultural Identity and Diaspora" Stuart Hall says that,
Identity is not as transparent and unproblematic as we think it to be. Instead of thinking of identity as an already accomplished fact, we should think of it as a product, which is never complete and is always in process, always constituted within, not outside, representation. (392)
Hall further defines,
Cultural identity is a matter of ‘becoming’ as well as ‘being’. It belongs to the future as much as to the past. It is not something that already exists, transcending time, place, history, and culture. Cultural identities come from somewhere, have histories. However, like everything historical, they undergo constant transformation. Far from being eternally fixed in some essentialised past, they are subject to the continuous ‘play’ of history, culture and power. (395)
Conclusion
Jhumpa Lahiri has rendered the appreciable picture of Indian immigrants' life in American multicultural environment, which initially created certain troubles for them. American culture is not tedious or trivial to Ashima, but her past life experiences contain some reminiscences of Indian culture and Bengali way of living, which keeps moving before her eyes. It does not seem that they are firmly clinging to any particular/single culture, except Bengali culture. They choose from cultures what is better for them. Ashoke and Ashima lived more than half of their life in America, yet they lived in Bengali way of life. They celebrate Indian festivals as well as given parties on Christmas.
On the other hand, Gogol and Sonia lived mingled life but mostly American. Ashima had spent more than half of her life in America, and by the time she adapted herself into the American way of life. She no more regrets about her past life. One cannot change what destiny had written.
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