The Namesake

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY: What’s in a Name?

Gogol’s relationship to his name is complex and becomes representative of the central conflict in him as an Indian America struggling to define himself. Using a combination of the internet, interviewing your family, and looking into the history of your name, create a report on what your name means. Consider how that impacts you personally, how it is connected to family heritage, and how it might be connected to famous people from history.

Teaching Suggestion: The intent of this activity is to get students to see connections between their own identity and Gogol’s. Providing them with a baby name book or other resource might be a good place to start, and allowing them to conduct interviews with family members will help them connect the ideas in the book to their own place in the world.