Issue of Diasporic Consciousness by Critically Viewing Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Namesake”

Authors

  • Kaberi Sonowal, Manab Jyoti Bora

Abstract

The novel written by Jhumpa Lahiri travels through crises within an American born to Indian immigrant parents. The struggle starts with the name “Gogol” which was inspired an author loved by the immigrant Indian Father. While the story travels through the subtle adamant nature of Ashima, the mother of Gogol to not let go her Indian influence by continuing to reading Indian languages to a day when Gogol starts identifying him as an Indian. JhumpaLahiri further portrays the unsettlement of the first generation Indian immigrant family and the hardship they face while settling in a different country as immigrant, while living with the memories of their homeland. The novel reeks of cultural shock, alienation faced by the ones who leave their homeland for better opportunities and also the home sick feeling shown through mother of Gogol, Ashima, The life of Ashoke Ganguly, the father of Gogol travels between two culture, while the story travels through his endeavour to protect his own culture and identity, as parents his idea was to raise Gogol in American way.

JhumpaLahiri being one of the few celebrated writer of diasporic literature, it would be apt to study her work through the cross –cultural prism in the diasporic literature by critically viewing her work in Namesake.

KeywordsDiaspora; Identity Crisis; Alienation; Cross Culture; Traditional; Modernity.

Published

2021-03-11

Issue

Section

Articles