Reader Response


"There´s no such thing as a perfect name. I think that human beings should be allowed to name themselves when they turn eighteen. Until then, pronouns." (245)

According to Chapter nine of "The Namesake", Nikhil was with Moushumi at a

gathering in Brooklyn, at Donald and Astrid´s house, a couple that were old

Moushumi's friends since she was engaged with Graham. By the time, Astrid 

was expecting to have a baby, so they were trying to find a name for her 

baby. Suddenly something came into Moushumi's mind, and by mistake she 

told to her friends the most private secret of  Nikhil's life: she said "Nikhil 

changed his name". At that moment everybody was concerned about it, 

desiring to know more about what Moushmi had just mentioned. Therefore, 

Nikhil was forced to tell more about his own story. He started to tell the story 

about his father and "The Overcoat". And he ended with this phrase: "There´s 

no such thing as a perfect name. I think that human beings should be 

allowed to name themselves when they turn eighteen. Until then, pronouns.".

I disagree with Nikhil, because trough "The Namesake", I've had read

chapters that make me understand more about his life. Even though he was  

very uncomfortable with his name when he was a kid, now that he has turned 

30 years old he is very sorry about what he did because the meaning of Gogol 

is more important than he had imagined. It is for that reason that I think that

children should not choose their at the age of 18. They have to be named by

their parents in the way that they decide, and at the moment that they are 

born. 

Children cannot grow up being calling as his or her, they need to have a name

that make other recognize them. If is a case as Gogol, where for some 

reasons they don't like their name, they have the opportunity to change it to 

another name and continue their life as they prefer.

I think that if Nikhil had known everything that he knows now, he would keep 

his old name "Gogol", because in that way he will feel as he never defraud 

his father.

If I had to named myself at the age of 18, I would have chosen the same 

because I love my name. I don't remember any day that I had to discuss with 

my mother about my name. I think she chose the perfect name for me.

I was named after a name of one of my mother's cousin. The were very close, 

and she asked my mother to please name me in honor to her. I have no 

problem with that, I think that thanks her I have a beautiful name: Evelyn, 

which I know means LIFE. It is nothing that I can change. I can't ask for more.

CHAPTER SEVEN SUMMARY

In chapter seven, of the Namesake, Ashima was feeling alone at home because Ashoke, Gogol and Sonia were not there. A lot of things passed over her mind because it was not was she expected. She tried to get involved in other activities, so she was hired in the library. It was her first job since he came from Calcutta. One day she received a phone call from Ashoke, he told her that he was in the hospital because he had a stomach ache. However, she thought that it was not much important, after some days she was worried because she had haven't received any call from him. For this reason she decided to call to the hospital that she assumed he could be, and unfortunately a young doctor told her that his husband had expired. For an instance, Ashima couldn't believe that; she informed to her children about this terrible situation, and Gogol was in charge to go to Cleveland to identify his father's body and to put in other all his belongs. Ashima, Gogol an Sonia were in a period of vegetarian diet for 10 days, and they finally ate the 11th a good meal with fish, meat potatoes and vegetables. Gogol remembered his father and he started to discover how wonderful and valuable he was.



READER RESPONSE CHAPTER 7

According to the Chapter Two, it shows how Gogol feels about his father's death. It hit him very hard. This particular thing reminds me how I felt when my father died. My family was conformed by 4 as the Ganguli family: my mother, mi father, my brother and I, but he left this place to go somewhere else. It was very painful to see my father in a coffin, and I wished that on any moment he would wake up, but it never happened. I thank God everyday because I had a wonderful father that left on my a good behavior and enough strength to face any obstacle in the life.

CHAPTER 6 SUMMARY

In chapter 6 of The Namesake, Gogol graduated from the University of Columbia in Ohio.He lived in an apartment that his father was paying. Moreover, he had some friends that invited him to a party. At the party he met a girl called Maxine, who later became his girlfriend. In this chapter, Gogol also met Maxine's parents, and he felt comfortable with them; for many occasions, he compared his parents with the Ratliff, and he wished to have a family like them.  He kept his relationship hidden from his parents for a time, but one day his mother, Ashima asked him to go home because they had to travel to Ohio, and it was there when he answered that he couldn't because he had already planned to take vacations with his girlfriend. It was a surprise for his parents but they wanted to know Maxine any way. The gathered at Ganguli's home, and Ashima prepared a dinner for them. On that day, Maxine heard the other name of Nikil which was Gogol. She didn't know anything about it, but she never asked more than Gogol explained to her. The last part of the chapter is when Gogol celebrated his 27th birthday. It was a party where he didn't know the people that were around him, but he enjoyed that day.

READER RESPONSE CHAPTER 6

In chapter 6 of The Namesake, the author describes how the dinner that the Gangulis prepare for Maxine makes Gogol feel nervous. It reminds me that sometimes our parents tell too much to people who visit our homes. It is kind of embarrassing when they talk about you with other people, and we feel nervous because we probably do not want that they say something that for us is very private or confidential.

READER RESPONSE CHAPTER 5

According to the Chapter five, it shows how Gogol faced the true about his name when his father finally decided to do it. The author tried to describe what can happen if a person try to hide something for a long time. In this case Ashoke suffered the reject of his son, because he didn't like his name, he didn't know the meaning, he thought a lot of wrong things because his father never tell him what really had happened. That part of the chapter reminds me to a case in my family when my grant grandmother hide to one of her sons that he was adopted. He was not really his son but he was her nephew. Her sister gave her that child because she was too young, and she didn't wan to raise that little boy by herself. My gran grandmother was already married, and it was no problem for her to raise that child. The years passed over, and when that child realized about the true, he wanted to die, just because her aunt was her mother and her mother was her aunt. That is an example of how the life can change when the people hide things that later will affect somebody else.

SUMMARY CHAPTER 5

In the chapter five, of The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri, tells that Gogol left home and went to the Court in Boston to change his name to Nikhil. As he turned 21, he went to a club to drink something an to pass a good night with a girl. At that time (1986), Gogol was passionate for his drawing class. He love the architecture because beside of his passion it reminded his visit to Taj Mahal. He had a conversation with their parents and explained to them his reason for which he didn't like his name: that name was not even a Bengali name, and Nicolae Gogol just meant sorrow and a miserable life for him. In this chapter he met a girl called Ruth and he saw on her the diversity of the cultures, he differentiated his world with her world. Seemed that he fall in love with that girl but after a time they broke up. One day Gogol assist to a panel discussion with his cousin about ABCD's, but Gogol was no familiarized with that discussion because he didn't know the real meaning of where he came from. At the end of the chapter, Gogol and his father had a very important conversation. Ashoke, finally told Gogol the true about his name, why he chose that name, and everithing. So, the reaction of Gogol was like guilty. For an instance , Gogol couldn't forgive himself for everything he did to their parents, but he understood and knew the origin of his name.

READER RESPONSE CHAPTER 4

According to the Chapter Two, it shows how Gogol feels about his name. He thinks that his name is ridiculous and make him feels embarrassing. The author tried to explain how a child raised in a foreign country like The United States would feel in some circumstances, especially when that child have to faces his friend's opinion. In this case Gogol was interesting in having a female friend, and he decided to adopt another name just at that moment to establish a good conversation with that girl. That part of the chapter remind me when I was 13 years old. I didn't like my middle name, and in Ecuador when the professor take the attendance and somebody else have the same name as you, the teacher called you by your middle name to differentiate you from the other. It was so embarrassing for me because I hated that name, so like Gogol, I wished I could have another name.

SUMMARY CHAPTER 4

In chapter four, in The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri, Gogol celebrated his 14th birthday. The party was out of common, because he didn't want a Bengali party, he wanted an American one. His parents, Ashoke and Ashima invited around 40 people included friends from three different estates. In this chapter, Gogol was passionate for the music; his favorite band was The Beatles. Gogol received a present from his father; it was The Overcoat, by Nicolae Gogol, the famous book which author's name was the name as him. Moreover, after a while the Bengali family decided to travel to India for 8 months. For Gogol and Sonia it was not a good experience because they didn't like some aspects from India. However, after some days Ashoke decided to take out his family from Calcutta to the Taj Mahal. The visit to that place impacted Gogol and his sister because of a legend about of it. One of the most important things that happened in the chapter was that Gogol met a girl and he lied about his name due to he didn't like it. He used the name Nikhil to introduce himself to Kim.

SUMMARY CHAPTER THREE

In chapter three of the novel "The Namesake", the Gangulis moved to a city outside Boston. Ashoke got a new job, he was a professor of electrical engineering at the university. Ashima was not happy because everything was so far from home, so she felt a dramatic change in her life compare to her life in Cambridge and Calcutta. Most of that, she didn't want to raise Gogol over there, she wished to go back to her country.

However, Ashoke were in his best moment and  prepared to buy a new house to his family. Gogol was growing up so fast, and when he was 5 years old Ashima got pregnant again. They were prepared with the name for the new girl and they named her Sonali. This chapter also tells that Gogol was registered for the school but he didn't want to go because at the school they will call him by his good name (Nikhil) to follow their Bengali tradition. One of the Gogol's professors realized that he had two names and to make him feel better, she decided to continue call him Gogol. The Gangulis tried to adopt some American customs due that they had two children that were born in America, they also celebrated Sonali's rice and on the ceremony she looked like she would be a true American because she took a bill. In addition, Gogol faced some situations with his name because he wanted to know what it really meant.

   

EVELYN SANTANA
ESL 099 0680

SUMMARY CHAPTER TWO.

 Chapter two from the novel "The Namesake", by Jumpa Lahiri tells us that Ashoke And Ashima had a baby boy. Everything was going as usually goes when a baby is born. Ashoke and Ashima had to leave the hospital, but it was a little complicated to them because they needed to have a name for the baby to place it on the birth certificate; and as we read in chapter one they were waiting for Ashima's grandmother letter which was suppose to contains the name of the baby. They didn't have more time to wait until that letter arrives, so Ashoke decided to name his son Gogol in honor to the author of the book that saved his life in that fatal accident.

READER RESPONSE.

According to the Chapter Two, the author describes the situation that Ashima faced with her son. The American tradition is very different compared to Bengali culture. For a moment, she couldn't manage the situation in the hospital, and I think it was very frustrated for her because she probably felt that she failed to her religion and to her family. I can compare this situation with a certain moment of my life that could be not the same but the way that I felt was similar. It was when I just came to this country. I wanted to go to College as soon as possible, I had finished my high school back in Ecuador and  I was ready to continue my studies. Unfortunately, I didn't have a support from my family, and I had to start to work putting away my dreams; however, I overcame those obstacles and now I feel that I progressing in this country. In other words it is difficult at the beginning  when you do not know anything about the country but later you realized that everything is possible if you put a lot of effort.

 
SUMMARY

CHAPTER TWO.

When a baby is born, there are some things that parents should get ready. For example, their names.

In American culture, babies names are given by their parents. They are in charge to find the name before o after the baby is born. In contrast, in Bengali culture great-grandparents are the ones that  give names to the babies. It does not have to be at the moment that they born, it could wait up to the baby reach certain age. Bengali have two names, one is a Good name and the other is called Pet name. A Good name is used in any public place, but a Pet name can just be used by their family. It is like a way to call them with love.

 In chapter two, we read that Ashoke and Ashima could not name their baby because they were waiting for Ashima's grandmother letter from India, which was supposse to arrive soon, but it did not. The problem was that they needed to have the name to leave the the hospital and to type it on the birth certificate. So, there is when Ashoke named his son Gogol, honoring the author of the book that he was reading on the train, when he had an accident. That book saved his life, and that was the reason why he chose that name for his son.

 In my culture, (Spanish) is almost the same process, parents are in charge to find the name for the new baby, but they ask for help to other members of their family, such as grandfathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. In addition, parents could name their child after another family member, to honor them, because that person means a lot in their lives. Based in mi life, my mother chose my name honoring one of her cousins. She named me "Evelyn" which means life.

Namesake chapter one

EVELYN SANTANA
                                   


SUMMARY

CHAPTER ONE, PAGES 11-18

CHARACTERS: GOSH AND ASHOKE

                   

          In this pages of this chapter, Ashoke was one the way to his grandfather's house. At the train, he met a guy called Gosh. This particular guy talked to him for a while about traveling around the world, and he gave to Ashoke his business card in the case that he wanted to contact him. Unfortunately, the train collapsed and they had an accident. In consequence Ashoke was severely injured, and Gosh died. 


READER RESPONSE 


         During the time that Ashoke was waiting at the hospital, he started to remember about his childhood. He had good memories of his grandfather, because he taught him to read with love. In this chapter, Ashoke remember one day that he was asked to care his grandfather because he was blind, and he needed that Ashoke read some books for him. On the way to his grandfather's house, he met a guy on the train called Ghosh. That guy tried to convince him to travel to England or America because he had a good sense of freedom. After that Gosh gave him a business card in case that he wanted to contact him. However, Gosh told to Ashoke this phrase: "Pack a pillow and a blanket and see as much of the world as you can” (16).
 
My point of view about this part of the chapter is:

Gosh tried to say that for traveling and know the world, he did not need anything more than one thing. In this case, he stated an example with a pillow and a blanket, just to say that he should go without care about the rest. Sometimes the opportunities comes once in the life

        Suddenly, the train collapsed and a big accident occurred. There died a lot of people, including Gosh. Ashoke was severely injured. He was paralyzed, he almost lost one of his legs, but he recovered from that accident. In consequence, he suffered of claustrophobia.