The Namesake (2003/2006)
Film Rated PG-13
Written by Jhumpa Lahiri
Who has also written Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccustomed Earth
Film directed by Mira Nair
Who has also directed Salaam Bombay! and Monsoon Wedding
Key Characters
Gogol (Nikhil) Ganguli
Ashima Ganguli
Ashoke Ganguli
Introduction
Moving between events in Calcutta, Boston, and New York City, the novel examines the nuances
involved with being caught between two conflicting cultures with their highly distinct religious, social,
and ideological differences.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Namesake
On a sticky August evening two weeks before her due date, Ashima Ganguli stands in the kitchen of
a Central Square apartment combining Rice Krispies and Planters peanuts nad chopped red onion
in a bowl. She adds salt, lemon juice, thin slices of green chili pepper wishing there were mustard
oil to pour into the mix. Ashima has been consuming this concoction throughout her pregnancy, a
humble approximation of the snack sold for pennies on Calcutta sidewalks and on railway platforms
throughout India, spilling from newspaper cones. Even now that there is barely space inside her, it
is the one thing she craves. Tasting from a cupped palm, she frowns; as usual, there’s something
missing. (p 1)
Awards
Lahiri has won a Pulitzer Prize for Literature
Novel was a New York Times Bestseller
Film won the Golden Aphrodite at the Bulgaria International Film Festival
Nominated at the 2007 Gotham Awards for Best Film
Nominated for the Independent Spirit Award; Best Supporting Male
Reviews
Editorial Review by Claire Dederer from www.amazon.com
Any talk of The Namesake--Jhumpa Lahiri's follow-up to her Pulitzer Prize-winning debut,
Interpreter of Maladies--must begin with a name: Gogol Ganguli. Born to an Indian academic and
his wife, Gogol is afflicted from birth with a name that is neither Indian nor American nor even
really a first name at all...
Awkwardness is Gogol's birthright. He grows up a bright American boy, goes to Yale, has pretty
girlfriends, becomes a successful architect, but like many second-generation immigrants, he can
never quite find his place in the world.
Lahiri documents quiet rebellions and random longings with great sensitivity. There's no cleverness
or showing-off in The Namesake, just beautifully confident storytelling. Gogol's story is neither
comedy nor tragedy; it's simply that ordinary, hard-to-get-down-on-paper commodity: real life. 
Review-a-Day by Amy Reiter from http://www.powells.com/review/2003_10_31.html
In her 2000 Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri
introduced us to people who left behind family and friends and the familiar heat and bustle of India
to build a new life in America -- a cold, bleak land of strangers and new customs. Lahiri's sweet,
sometimes deep, sometimes quirky first novel, The Namesake, picks up on these beloved themes and
then expands on them, following the Indian-American immigrant experience through to the next
generation as she tracks the members of the Ganguli family.
Writing in the long form, Lahiri is able to do what she couldn't in her short stories: follow her
characters beyond one pivotal moment in their lives and track their development and growth. And if
some of the recent immigrants in Interpreter of Maladies seemed almost unbearably sad -- their pain
all too exquisitely conveyed -- Ashima's similarly depressed state lasts only a chapter or two before
relenting as she begins to build a new community around her and to fit happily into her new life.
Turning her sights on the next generation, on Gogol's life after he begins to make his way in the
world as a first-generation American, Lahiri proves herself nearly as adept as when she focuses on
the particular struggles of the parents. Gogol goes to Yale, changes his name to Nikhil ("I hate the
name Gogol. I've always hated it," he tells the judge in charge of his name-change application) and
re-creates himself as the person he'd like to be -- hanging with friends, going to parties, meeting girls
-- but never fully shakes his old identity.
Allusions, References and Noteable Notes
According to Eugene M. Makar, the traditional Indian culture is defined by relatively strict social
hierarchy. He also mentions that from an early age, children are reminded of their roles and places in
society. Family is central to Indian culture; in many areas, even extended members of a family like
one’s parents, children, the children’s spouses and their offspring, etc. live together.
There are low levels of occupational and geographical mobility (ie children will do the same jobs their
parents did and will live in the same area).
Arranged marriages have the tradition in Indian society for centuries. Even today, overwhelming
majority of Indians have their marriages planned by their parents and other respected family-members,
with the consent of the bride and groom. Arranged matches were made after taking into account factors
such as age, height, personal values and tastes, the backgrounds of their families (wealth, social
standing) and their castes (societal rankings) and the astrological compatibility of the couples'
horoscopes.
In cultures where dating is not prevalent, arranged marriages perform a similar function—bringing
together people who might otherwise not have met. In such cultures, arranged marriage is viewed as the
norm and accepted by young adults.
Indian naming conventions are very different than those in North America. For many Indians, their birth
name is different from their official name. Many children are given two names: a given name and a
family name.
Indian cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines across the globe. Historically, Indian spices and herbs
were one of the most sought after trade commodities. The spice trade between India and Europe led to
the rise and dominance of Arab traders to such an extent that European explorers, such as Vasco da
Gama and Christopher Columbus, set out to find new trade routes with India leading to the Age of
Discovery. Food has an important role in Indian culture.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arranged_marriages#Variations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_name
Discussion Questions
Text as Story
 Symbolism of food, eating? When is it used – comparisons/contrasts between American and Indian
practices
 Recurring ideas of journey, travel, distance – how we are affected and changed by the process; how
do these concepts effect identity?
 Traditions and family – norms and customs and the role they play in establishing our development
and growth – idea of Other, its draws and pitfalls. Relationship between tradition, memory and
photographs?
 Obviously, identity and names plays a large role in the central themes of the book; where are names
brought up? How do they interact with the concepts of self awareness and discovery? How does
Identity weave itself throughout all the major symbols and themes of the novel?
 Books, authors, education, reading – where/to whom is it most significant?
Text as Technique
 Third person omniscient with shifting character focus (Ashima, Gogol, Ashoke) – why shift? How
does it help us better understand other characters? In what ways does it establish a sad irony between
generations?
 Novel written in present tense with shift to future at the end – what effect does this have on the
reader? What is the purpose?
 At times the prose style is simplistic and informative like a letter, what could be the purpose of this
choice? How does Lahini’s choice here suit the subject matter?
 How does Lahini’s recurring emphasis on reading effect the ‘fourth wall’ experience for the reader?
Key Quotes/Selections
Quote
Scene
Significance/Relevance