Love In The Namesake

The Namesake is a novel by Jhumpa Lari that weaves marriage, intimacy and love into the life of Gogol, his parents, and the Ganguli Family. The novel begins in the early chapters of Ashima’s and Ashoke’s arranged marriage. Ashima has Gogol shortly after moving to America and the novel switches to his perspective. Gogol struggles to find his identity in school and has several affairs with women. Finally he begins a relationship with Moushumi, Maxine and Ruth. It is clear from the comparison between Gogol’s love life and that of his parents, how each person experiences love differently. There are many themes that run through the novel but the love theme is perhaps the most prominent. The Namesake emphasizes the theme of romance through his close relationships with women. These include Ruth, Maxine, Moushumi, etc.

Ruth is Gogol’s most significant relationship. Even though this relationship is short-lived, it is an important one in the story. Gogol falls in love with Ruth as he rides the train to New Haven to visit his parents. Ruth is a Yale student who is quirky and white. She represents everything that her parents don’t. Gogol falls in love with Ruth. Ruth decides to extend her stay at Oxford after a semester of studying there. Ruth and Gogol are at odds after so much separation. Ruth says that Gogol’s speech was “filled with phrases and words she picked up while in England” like ‘I think’, I suppose’, and ‘…. In the days following their reunion, in the apartment they rented together on Howe Street in New Haven with friends, there was a fight. They both acknowledged that something has changed. Gogol feels lonely at campus after the relationship between them ends. Gogol establishes this connection to set the precedent for his future relationships. Meaning, he will actively search for women that are Anglo American and liberal. Ruth creates a contrast between Gogol and Ruth’s parents, their relationship, and their culture. Gogol is not familiar with love. He falls for Ruth instantly and becomes engulfed in the comfort Ruth brings him.

Maxine is the next relationship in which Gogol engages. Gogol’s relationship with Maxine is a major one. He finds comfort in the separation that he has from his culture and family. Gogol has just graduated architecture school and is attending a lavish New York party. There he meets Maxine. Maxine is an attractive young Anglo American girl who fits the rebellious female he has sought ever since he became a young adult. Gogol becomes more obsessed with Maxine and her lifestyle than she is, and quickly grows envious. Maxine is unapologetic about her lifestyle and her identity. Gogol, on the other hand, has been struggling with this since birth. Maxine represents the freedom he has from his father’s lifestyle. She also symbolizes his inevitable confrontation with his personal identity. The relationship between the two is stable until Gogol has his first conflict. On his 27th, he celebrates with the Ratliffs in their New Hampshire cabin. Pamela Ratliff, a Ratliff family friend, says he is Indian and that he will not be sick. Lydia, who means well, answers that Gogol is an American citizen, but immediately contradicts herself. Gogol, irritated, realizes that the Ratliffs are not the same as him, despite the fact that they have lived with him for quite some time. Maxine, Gogol, and his father are now at a crossroads. Gogol feels guilty for not spending more time with Maxine and Maxine’s relationship. Maxine is upset by Gogol’s spending more time with family. The relationship ends. This relationship is important for Gogol to develop as a person, and his understanding of family and love. Maxine allows Gogol to break away from his cultural heritage and family. However, soon after, he begins to realize that Maxine is too different, as are all of his Anglo American girlfriends. He also comes to the realization that these women cannot understand his identity, background or feelings. After his father’s death, he feels that he has taken his family for granted and returns to them in order to find a sense of identity.

Gogol is doing well after his relationship Maxine Ratliff. He has returned to his family to reconnect with his roots, and his mother arranges for him to meet Moushumi. Gogol presents her with an expensive hat on one of their dates. A few weeks later, the couple begins dating. Moushumi’s early years were spent in England, Paris and other European countries. This makes her different to Gogol. Moushumi gives Gogol a brief account of her early life. Then she introduces Graham, her former fiancee and briefly explains how their relationship ended the summer before Gogol and her. Gogol and Moushumi get married at the request of their families, but it is awkward to realize that Moushumi’s sari is from a previous marriage. Moushumi has been attending a conference for months and Gogol is feeling like a visitor in Paris. Moushumi reveals Gogol’s good name when the couple attends a dinner party. The story is told from Moushumi’s point of view. A flashback introduces her highschool crush and the serious foreshadowing that will be present in the plot. Next, she contacts Dimitri, writes down his number, and then calls him. After Moushumi tells Gogol of Dimitri, the two break up. The relationship between Gogol and Moushumi is important to him because it helps him connect with his roots, discover his true identity, move on from the death of his father, and allows a comparison to be made between them. Moushumi’s cheating on Gogol is a reflection of the rebellion that Gogol experienced as a teenager. Both Moushumi, who was born in India, and Gogol, who was born abroad, went through a rejection of their Indian roots. Gogol is more mature and has realized the importance of his heritage and family, whereas Moushumi still rejects this lifestyle. The relationship between Gogol and his father leads him to accept his family, as well as the name he has been given by his dead father.

The Namesake presents Gogol in a variety of ways, but the pattern of his love for women is clear (Lahiri). Gogol searches for what he is missing in relationships. For example, he seeks Ruth. Gogol falls in love Ruth’s easy intelligence and freedom from her family. Maxine is also a favorite, as he loves her style and comfort with her identity. Moushumi is the last to fall in love with him. He loves her background and heritage, along with her sense of family. Gogol is constantly looking for traits he lacks, like comfort in one’s own skin, and feeds off them to achieve those traits. This acceptance and identity is a result of Gogol’s relationships.