The Namesake

The naming of Ashima and Ashoke’s son is a central symbol of the novel, which also functions as a leitmotif as the author threads the idea of the influence of a name through the book. Having received no official Bengali name but an unusual version of a pet name, Gogol at first accepts this appellation. However, as he grows older, the name becomes a burden, distancing him from his family (because it is not a proper Bengali name) and also from his American peers. Thus, Lahiri uses Gogol’s name a symbol for his whole identity crisis and the cultural clash that exists within him. Through Gogol’s attitude toward his name, we can trace his growing sense of self.

Furthermore, by focusing so much of his self-doubt on his name, Gogol himself also treats it as a symbol in his life—a symbol of not belonging anywhere and of the instability of his identity. He believes that by changing it officially, he can get rid of the anxiety that the name represents for him, but this idea proves to be untrue.

Finally, the name acquires an additional symbolic value once Gogol learns why his father has chosen it. The name becomes a representation of his father’s love and faith in his son.