The Namesake

For Gogol’s 14th birthday, he has two parties: one for his American school friends and another for his parents’ 40 Bengali friends. As a teenager, Gogol has started to reject his Bengali heritage, as it makes him feel too different; he feels the same about his unusual name: “Gogol sounds ludicrous to his ears, lacking dignity or gravity” (89). Ashoke presents him with Gogol’s stories, but the boy refuses to read them, preferring to listen to the Beatles. His father starts to tell him about his special bond with the Russian writer, but he feels the boy is too American to understand.

Next year, Ashoke and Ashima inform the children they will be spending eight months in Calcutta during Ashoke’s sabbatical. Both Gogol and Sonia feel depressed, as India is a foreign country to them. They spend the eight months visiting various relatives and make a special tourist trip to the Taj Mahal. Life in India feels poor and crowded for Gogol, and the streets of Calcutta are dangerous and disorienting. He decides to “surrender to confinement” (97).

In September, Gogol is a junior in high school. His English teacher, Mr. Lawson, recognizes his name and assigns the class Nikolai Gogol’s story “The Overcoat.