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.