"The Namesake" Trailer

The Namesake is a movie that was made in 2006 and released in 2007.  It is a coming of age story about an adolescent, Gogol, and his search for his identity.  Gogol does not appreciate his ethnic sounding name that his father has given him.  What Gogol does not know is his name is a reflection of  his father's intense desire for his children to grow up in a multi-cultural world after his own near-death experience.  Gogol grows into a young adult, wants to study to be an architect and finally learns the truth behind the story of his name.  Shortly thereafter his father suffers a sudden heart attack and dies.  Finally, after a trip to Bangladesh for his father's memorial, Gogol is able to truly appreciate and understand his name for the symbolic representation of his identity that it is.

Compare and Contrast Identity of Gogol and Moushoumi

"Moushoumi's innermost thoughts, as related by the narrator, reveal a complexity in the way she thinks of herself and her identity in relation to Gogol. Moushoumi imagines herself as ending up with someone other than Gogol, and we can assume that she literally means an other: someone of a different ethnic background or nationality. In her self-fashioning, an Indian mate is something that would reaffirm her identity as an Indian American, not as an international cosmopolite, and so she calls her marital choice "transgressive" because it conflicts with her own expectations, even though it is entirely in keeping with her family's cultural expectations. In the character of Moushoumi, therefore, Lahiri creates a foil to the comfortably American Gogol; although he feels at times like a tourist in his own country, he is a happy tourist, one who is content to savor the privileges and pleasures of his native country. In contrast, Moushoumi becomes deeply unhappy as her section of the novel progresses, and finally, in a truly transgressive act, she commits adultery and leaves Gogol to move to Paris, thereby fulfilling her desire to be a true cosmopolite. Not content to assimilate to any cultural norm, she breaks with the normative romantic tradition within which her family operates and changes the paradigm of India-to-America emigration. She also challenges the notion of "return"-after her marital voyage with Gogol, she chooses not to return to her family or ethnic community, and she rejects American pluralism for European"

Analysis: This is taken from an article that focuses on the state of being a tourist in the land in which you live. It focuses on the novel "The Namesake". This article explains the differences between Gogol and Moushoumi. At the beginning of the novel, Gogol is not exactly sure what his identity is because he wants to be seen as an American, but he feels he also has a connection to his Bangladeshi culture. Gogol finds himself searching for what he feels he needs in terms of relationships and Moushoumi does the same by dating Gogol. Gogol wants to be more connected to his roots by marrying someone of the same culture. After marrying her he is happy knowing that he is making a good decision. Moushoumi is never quite sure if she wants to marry Gogol, yet she does because she feels it is right. Gogol knows he made the right decision, while Moushoumi takes her actions back and decides to identify with being more American. The two characters in the novel show that parents do not always have such an effect on their children when it comes to choosing an identity. Gogol chose to have stronger relations with his culture and Moushoumi chose to stay a "tourist" in Paris because she does not want to follow the "cultural norm" by marrying someone of her own culture.

Gogol's Wedding

This image of Gogol's wedding represents his shift towards embracing his Indian culture. When he was growing up, he tried to stray from his Indian culture and immerse himself in the environment around him. Gogol's marriage is one of the main turning points when he wants to be part of the culture he denied for so long.

"He is afraid to be Nikhil, someone he doesn't know. Who doesn't know him […] It's a part of growing up, they tell him, of being a Bengali."

-The Namesake

Article on Zadie Smith's White Teeth

"In White Teeth, Smith demonstrates that the aesthetic experience is not limited to the experience of canonical art but can rather be extended to include the everyday performances of identity. Through this novel, Smith suggests that the accidental elements of presentation space (or context) often disturb the relationship between the form and content of performance, so that it is necessary to be aware of presentation at all times in order to avoid misreading of identity" (Cook 3).

Analysis:

This is a quote taken from an article written about some of Zadie Smith's work, including "White Teeth". The first few lines of this quote suggest that the beauty that surrounds us is not limited to the physical aspects but incorporates our experiences as well. Our experiences cannot be limited to appearances, instead they must come from who we are as a person; the person we identify ourself as. The author uses the phrase, "performances of identity". I related this phrase to the idea that we can create our own identity. Whether we use our culture, our parents, or our own experiences, we can create an identity for ourselves. This ties into the theme of memory because our experiences and memories are the foundation of who we are. They can even shape the path we choose to take in life.

In "White Teeth", the theme of identity works closely with memory, we see this especially in the character of Samad. Even though Bangladesh is part of Samad's past, it is what defines him. Samad is living in England and raising a family in England, yet he tries to avoid the changes that England brings. Samad choose to identify himself with his past. Samad's "performances of identity" occur for him daily as he struggles to uphold his traditions and his religion. Samad even tries to change the identity of his son, Magid, but Magid cannot be influenced by experiences that are not his own. Unlike Samad, Gogol's father uses his memories to create a new identity for him and his family. Ashoke wants new experiences and that is why he moves to New York with his wife. He wants to raise his children in a place filled with new opportunities. While "The Namesake" does reveal some problems that come from creating a new identity (Ashoke's children have a weak tie with their indian culture), it also shows that identity is something that cannot be forced, we must find it for ourselves. 

The first generation

This image shows the differences that can occur between first generation children and their parents. Ashima chooses to remain close to her Indian heritage while her children, Gogol and Sonia, have chosen to embrace an identity that is their own.

silencing, fear and identity

"I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We've been taught that silence would save us, but it won't."
-Audre Lorde, writer and civil rights activist