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KNOWLEDGE BRINGS FORTH IDENTITY

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 Knowledge Brings Forth Identity
Identity refers to the sense of belonging, which members of a group or society feel when
interacting with other members. It gives some level of comfort to the individual as they feel
legitimately part of the culture that the community engages in; for example, some Rastafarians
identify with fellow Rastafarians because they all have dreadlocks. Jhumpa Lahiri’s The
Namesake, is a story about Ashoke’s household that has to associate with two different cultures,
and therefore, exhibits some level of segregation on matters culture. The story unveils how
people get accustomed to the cultural practices that they observe in the environment where they
live, and that raises the question of whether identity is entirely about one’s environment.
Arguably, much as the story shows that humanity finds identity in the environment where they
are raised, knowledge of a given culture is the first step to true identity.
Ashima and Gogol find it hard fitting in to different cultures. The former does not cope
with the American environment; she mises home and finds life in America quite boring. For
example, “She wonders if she is the only Indian in the hospital...” (3). Moreover, she is
displeased with American foods: “Tasting from a cupped palm, she frowns; as usual, there’s
something missing” (1). Still, she feels that her status as a foreigner is a disadvantage to her: “For
being a foreigner, Ashima is beginning to realize, is a sort of lifelong pregnancy – a perpetual
wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts” (49). Gogol, on the other hand, finds
displeasure in his family’s practices due to the American influence. Consequently, he goes a step
further to move away from his home to join Maxine’s family, an American household in New
York City. His parents can barely reach him from Maxine’s home, not even to wish him a happy
birthday (158). Therefore, through the two characters, it is evident that one easily finds identity in
the environment where they grow, regardless of their ethnicity.
However, Gogol’s life shows a different view of what identity entails. Noteworthy, the
character rejects his pet name and wants people to refer to him as Nikhil to the extent that he feels
annoyed when people refer to him as Gogol (193). Perhaps, it is because he does not understand
why his father chose to call him Nikolai Gogol, the writer whose stories saved the Ashoke’s life.
In fact, after his father’s death, he feels guilty for having changed his name (244). Besides, during
his grandparent’s death, Gogol feels uncomfortable participating in Indian mourning rituals, but
the case is different when Ashoke dies (180). He barely interacts with his grandparents before
their death, and therefore, does not feel the need to refrain from eating certain foods at his
childhood (180). However, for the case of his father, the pain is unbearable, it is only the Bengali
traditions that give him solace. From the narration, Gogol is quite rebellious to some cultural
practices because he does not understand them, but the situation changes when he finally gets to
understand the underlying reasoning. That way, Jhumpa Lahiri shows his readers that would fins
it easy to identify with what they understand, not mysteries.
Further, Gerald’s family is a typical example of people who cannot identify with given
practices because of ignorance. Gogol is aware that he should find out about his father’s safety,
but Maxine’s family views that as a senseless thing to do (158). Moreover, it is normal for Gogol
to live with Maxine in the latter’s parents house, something that Ashima cannot feel proud of
amongst her Bengali friends: “Ashima refuses to admit to her Bengali friends” (166). To a large
extent, Maxine’s household does not know about the Bengali culture, and that is why it overlooks
some of the common Indian cultural practices. That ignorance is the reason why Gogol and
Maxine’s relationship comes to an end. Maxine can barely understand why Gogol has to perform
all the Bengaline rituals and feels jealous of his family (188). In her view, Gogol should take
every trip with her, while there in Bengaline culture, some mourning rituals are only performed
by the diseased family (180). Therefore, the New York household cannot understand Indian
practices because it has no knowledge of what the latter entails.
Undoubtedly, one needs to know and understand a culture for them to identify with the
practices. Gogol’s expression of deviance to the Bengali cultural practices is mere ignorance;
once he gets to understand the reasoning behind given cultures, he feels attached to the practices.
In fact, it is because of his attachment to culture that he breaks up with Maxine, who seems
unsupportive of the culture. That raises the notion that perhaps Ashima only feels bored and out
of place in the United States because she does not know about the US culture. If her son could
learn and appreciate Bengali practices, then it is possible that she could also learn and appreciate
US practices. Further, the finding adds to the argument that humans are rational, and it is
imprudent to force something on humanity. It is necessary to communicate the reasoning behind
any suggested move, and for sure, people would judge. Perhaps, if only Maxine were ready to
learn about the Bengali practices, her affair with Gogol would not come to such an unexpected
end. Surely, Jhumpa Lahiri’s work is a great expression of how ignorance could stop one from
identifying with a given set of practices, and therefore, knowledge is the basis on which true
identity springs.
 Bibliography
 Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. United States: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2004.