Like all red oaks, it is both male and female and has a. The action takes place in and around boston and new york between 1968 and 2000. The author of this book, the namesake, is steven parlato. Gogol goes to work as an architect in new york and meets maxine, a book editor who seems his perfect match. His wife ashima deeply misses her family and struggles to adapt. The storys main protagonist, gogol is the son of ashoke and ashima ganguli. At age four she began her 15 year dancing career, resulting in her performance in the opening ceremonies of the 1996 olympic games in atlanta. The namesake, a 2006 drama film, based on the novel. Soon their son is born, in the foreign environment of the american hospital. The namesake characters from litcharts the creators of. It was originally a novella published in the new yorker and was later expanded to a full length novel. Talking about the fiction books, there is a ton of fiction books available to read.
Discussion of themes and motifs in jhumpa lahiris the namesake. The novel tells of the lives of ashima and asoke ganguli and how they leave behind a. Jhumpa lahiris second book, the namesake, was published in the united states in 2003. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. In her adaptation of the namesake, mira nair hits it right at least half the time. A year after the divorce, gogol visits his familys home once more before it is sold, and he discovers a book given to him by his father long ago, a copy of the short. This is most of the namesake cast as of chapter 12, to be presented on the cast page of book 2. Gogol s younger sister, who calls him, affectionately, goggles. Her stories are one of the very few debut works and only a handful of collections to have won the pulitzer prize for fiction. This book details what it was actually like as one of the first black. Overview national endowment for the arts creative writing fellow jhumpa lahiri is known publicly by her nickname because her kindergarten teacher deemed it easier to pronounce than her proper name, nilanjana sudeshna. The film was released in the united states on 9 march 2007, following screenings at film festivals in. As it begins, ashoke ganguli and his pregnant young wife ashima are living in cambridge while he does research at.
Bosch debuted as the lead character in the 1992 novel the black echo, the first in a bestselling police procedural series now numbering 21 novels. The namesake is the story of two generations of the gangulis, a family of indian immigrants to the united states when we first meet ashoke and ashima ganguli they are living in a small apartment in cambridge, massachusetts, about to welcome their first child into the world. But if we talk about the very best of them then there is a very little amount of them. Everyday has been a gift, gogol, irrfan khan ashok tells kal penn gogol in the movie, but truly, the namesake is a wonderful gift for its audience, especially since i saw this movie 5 days before my birthday. Dec 18, 2012 the author of this book, the namesake, is steven parlato. Like its predecessor, the namesake explores issues of the indian american immigrant experience. The namesake summary from litcharts the creators of. This anticipation was based on lahiris first book, the pulitzer prizewinning collection of short stories titled interpreter of maladies.
The characters are realistic and embrace their imperfections. Gogol is the center of the novel, and it is his journey from childhood into young. Among the many other awards and honors it received were the new yorker debut of the year award, the penhemingway. The book was well received by critics and highly anticipated. In the namesake, lahiri enriches the themes that made her collection an international bestseller. Ashima and ashoke have a son named gogol who eventually enters a graduate program in new york to study architecture. Construct a character analysis of gogol from the namesake. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the namesake by jhumpa lahiri. A book to savor, certainly one of the best of the year. Lahiri more than fulfills the promise of her auspicious. Reece is an accomplished actress starring in continue reading the wish cast and characters.
The namesake by jhumpa lahiri book club discussion. Because a letter from ashimas grandmother containing gogols good name is lost in the mail, gogol is legally given the pet name gogol after the russian author whose book saved ashokes life. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri about the book in the namesake, lahiri enriches the themes that made her pulitzer prizewinning collection the interpreter of maladies an international bestseller. Buy a cheap copy of the namesake book by jhumpa lahiri. Jhumpa lahiris interpreter of maladies established this young wri.
The namesake is a 2006 englishlanguage drama film directed by mira nair and written by sooni taraporevala based on the novel the namesake by jhumpa lahiri. The last third of the book drags a little and didnt sustain my attention the way the rest of the book did. Sep 16, 2003 many scenes cry out for dialogue that would enable her characters to cut loose from a buttoneddown world in which much is documented but little revealed. This shows readers some of the different challenges foreigners face when they come to a new land like america and how rough it can be to adapt. As revealed later in the story, she was adopted by calliope agent mikaela almstedt after awakening her powers and lived a fairly happy life before selling her name to one and joining the rippers for an unknown reason. The namesake 2003 is the first novel by indianamerican author jhumpa lahiri and. Atlanta journal constitution an exquisitely accomplished novel. Its a good thing, then, that our narrator tells their story with a sympathetic. In wish you well david baldacci has written a tale laced with touching passages evoking the charms of rural virginia, imbued with graceful humor, and enriched by with unforgettable characters. Gogol, the protagonist of the namesake, is a rather stiff character.
This study guide consists of approximately 41 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the namesake. Reece odum, from atlanta, ga, has always had a true love for the performing arts. The namesake by jhumpa lahiri is a pulitzer prize winning novel that follows the ganguli family from their lives in calcutta through their journey to america. Did the namesake allow you to think of america in a new way. Here again lahiri displays her deft touch for the perfect detail the fleeting moment, the turn of phrase.
The namesake characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Ashoke ganguli a bengali man who comes alone to the u. Any talk of the namesakejhumpa lahiris followup to her pulitzer prizewinning debut, interpreter of maladiesmust begin with a name. The namesake follows a bengali couple, who move to the usa in the 60s. Forgiveness and love are two very important themes in this book. Readers guide for the namesake published by houghton. The namesake is the story of two generations of the gangulis, a family of indian immigrants to the united states. Detective hieronymus harry bosch is a fictional character created by american author michael connelly.
The namesake is the second book by jhumpa lahiri, who had previously won the pulitzer prize for her debut collection of stories, interpreter of maladies. Gogolnikhil ganguli the son of ashoke and ashima ganguli, gogol is born in boston. The young couple met through an arranged marriage in calcutta, india, where ashima had lived her. The novel is a heartwrenching yet triumphant story about family and adversity from times past that resounds forcefully today. The characters of the namesake sure do make a lot of mistakes. Its a good thing, then, that our narrator tells their story with a sympathetic tone. Readers guide for the namesake published by houghton mifflin. The namesake 2003 is the first novel by indianamerican. The wish cast and characters reece odum reece odum, from atlanta, ga, has always had a true love for the performing arts. This study guide consists of approximately 50 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of wishtree. The namesake, as a novel, journeys through several experiences of the characters present therein bringing out the several namesakes in the. The namesake characters jhumpa lahiri this study guide consists of approximately 41 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the namesake.
Two weeks before her due date, pregnant ashima ganguli is cooking when her water breaks. The namesake summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Wish by barbara oconnor meet your next favorite book. Interpreter of maladies, the namesake, unaccustomed earth, and the lowland. Wish is a wonderful book that kids will connect with. Interpreter of maladies, 1999 focuses on the divide between indian immigrants and their americanized children. There is a movie too which stars irrfan khan and tabu which isnt bad either, though reading the book would always be recommended.
It would make a great read aloud and should be in every classroom library. I know this book and specially the author, doenst need any introduction here amongst this elite group of readers. He shuns his family mostly because of their cultural ties to india. Most of the time, he is not a very likeable character. Take a boy, born in the late 1960s to indian parents living in the american suburbs, far from their native calcutta. In a few moments in the novel, gogol thinks with longing of the idea of a gravea place that will bear his legacy into the future, and give him or his family a permanent physical read full symbol analysis choose citation style. In the namesake, the pulitzer prize winner jhumpa lahiri brilliantly illuminates the immigrant experience and the tangled ties between generations. The only time he appears pliable is when he is in a relationship with a woman, and he leans her way. But it uses these memories not so much to stay in the past as to move through it, into the present and the future. He won the 3rd place in childrens literature poetry society in 2007 with one of his poems, her absence shows. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. The namesake 2003 is the first novel by american author jhumpa lahiri.
The namesake short story, by willa cather the namesake, childrens book by c. I think that one major element of gogols characterization is. Character list cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. A namesake is a person or thing named after someone or something else namesake may also refer to. The namesake speaks to the universal struggle to extricate ourselves from the past. Jhumpa lahiris interpreter of maladies established this young writer as one the most brilliant of her generation. Need help on characters in jhumpa lahiris the namesake. From these themes of dual nationality, the question of identity arises, and this theme is further underscored by the main characters dual names. Starting the opening credits with the characters of the actors names replaced with american characters was witty. And sometimes nair goes overboard in heightening the cultural contrasts the inevitable incongruities between east and west that lahiri. Life has struggles and families and friends help each other out. What were the symbols used in the bookthe namesake.
The namesake allows readers to think of america in a different way because this piece of literature tells how the characters live in america as immigrants with a completely different culture. Seattle this second book lahiris pace and accent are unmistakable. A timeless, classic story of identity, family, and selfdiscovery. I think that one major element of gogols characterization is confusion. The namesake symbols from litcharts the creators of. Gogol nikhil ganguli the son of ashoke and ashima ganguli, gogol is born in boston.
They keep secrets, make misguided decisions, and screw up just about as much as the rest of us. It was originally a novel published in the new yorker and was later expanded to a. Explanation of the famous quotes in the namesake, including all important speeches, comments, quotations, and monologues. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. It stars tabu, irrfan khan, kal penn and sahira nair. He visits the hospital on the day that gogol is born, and gives him an illustrated book of mother goose rhymes. A struggle for identity the namesake, by jhumpa lahiri, is a story of culture, race, and inheritance, and how these factors mold our attitudes and direct our lives in a society that is everchanging. Right from the beginning, she reaps the benefits of her parents experience with gogol. The namesake is, in some ways, a novel of nostalgia, inasmuch as it is concerned with issues of memory, remembering, forgetting, and loss. The film was produced by indian, american and japanese studios. Lahiri meticulously unfolds the lives of her characters. Born to bengali emigre parents and newly arrived in the united states from london, she had to grapple early with questions of identity, and the impact of this is palpable in. The namesake cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. The namesake 2003 is the second book by author jhumpa lahiri.
The namesake study guide contains a biography of jhumpa lahiri, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Sep 01, 2003 jhumpa lahiri has said of the namesake, america is a real presence in the book. Do you agree that america is a real presence in the namesake. Ashima, at the beginning of the novel, does not make choices so much as she. The namesake chapters 5 and 6 summary and analysis gradesaver. It explores many of the same emotional and cultural themes as her pulitzer prizewinning short story collection interpreter of maladies. Her husband, ashoke ganguli, takes her to the hospital by taxi, and she is placed in a room with three other women. She too struggles with the divide between her american friends and her indian background, and moves to california for college. Red is the storys firstperson narrator and main character.
Beautifully written, with vivid depictions of characters and settings that feel true and authentic. The namesake, an episode of the american police procedural drama ncis, this disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title namesake. A runaway russian namesake who was originally named vanessa, she killed karen and started the library fire that kicked off the plot. Ashoke is a trained engineer, who quickly adapts to his new lifestyle. Bosch debuted as the lead character in the 1992 novel the black echo, the first in a bestselling police procedural series now numbering 21 novels the novels are more or less coincident in timeframe with the year in which they were published.
250 1133 754 1076 142 817 917 1400 968 1325 406 107 1083 917 1150 820 346 1575 274 700 883 1467 1438 536 406 619 1087 519 198 321 1132 519 1251 52 1024 465 165 647 396 1326 853 505 705 17 273 151 1187 703 1397 300