And shed assured him that it was understandable, that anyone in his place would have done the same. The family shifts into action, all of their lives now changed forever. Study and Discussion Questions for Chapters 8 & 9 of Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake In these chapters, Gogol moves beyond his relatonships with American women of European descent and, through Ashima's insistence, agrees to meet with Moushumi, whom we first met at Gogol's fourteenth birthday party [73]. 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And yet he cant really blame her. Nothing is locked, not the main house, or the cabin that he and Maxine sleep in. They arrive at the beach when most families have already left, and, they know the other two Indian children at the schoolbut they do not. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% At this time, Russian editors and critics such as Nikolai Polevoy and Nikolai Nadezhdin saw Gogol as a regional Ukrainian writer, and used his works to illustrate the specific of Ukrainian national characters. Maxine and Gogol's relationship becomes distressed as a result of Gogol suffering from remorse of being so wrapped up in his own affairs that he never fully valued the important things his father had to offer. Gogol's relationships in The Namesake A namesake is someone or something that has the same name as another person or thing. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. Gogol had three serious relationships with Ruth, Maxine and Moushumi one of which he ended up marrying. She begins to comfort, no time to find a good name, they get an express passport with the name, When Ashima does leave the house, it is to wander around the university campus with, crossing the ocean with a single suitcase each. Inspired by the idea of planning a trip to Italy, kindly on this marriageBen makes Sonia happy in a way that Moushumi never did with. | Certified Educator Gogol, as a child who was born and brought up in America, thinks that the arranged marriage . At first, Gogol's identity is enhanced with distancing himself from his family. It took enormous efforts to save Andreyev's original work from destruction; as of 2014[update] it stands in front of the house where Gogol died. Shortly after moving to New York City and starting his job at an architectural firm, he meets a woman named Maxine. Gogol is also inspired by the design of the Taj Mahal when the family visits India together, when he is in high school. This leads to the second of Gogols transformations: into a student of architecture. By "Indian ness" I mean the amount of his parents Bengali ways and traditions that he retained. Gogol then goes from being a baby at the start of the novel to being a divorced man in his early 30s by the final chapter. [18] It was only after the presentation of his comedy The Government Inspector (Revizor) at the Saint Petersburg State Theatre, on 19 April 1836,[24] that he finally came to believe in his literary vocation. Although Ruth, Maxine, and Moushumi were right for him at the time, they didn't end up working out. In January. They are all particularly struck by the Taj Mahal, which, first few days the lack of noise in their large home feels odd, but quickly, Every other weekend he takes the train home to his family, morphing back into, All too soon they are apart for the winter holidays, and, In the driveway before they enter the house, Ashoke decides to tell, One night a draftsman from his firm, Evan, invites, minutes, looking carelessly alluring, and leads him into the grand kitchen and dining area, where, Gerald and Lydia leave for their annual summer trip to New Hampshire, leaving Maxine and. Their parents were friends, not they. As a child of immigrants, Gogol often feels foreign in America. Now, sitting together at the kitchen table at six-thirty every evening, the hour feeling more like midnight through the window, his fathers chair empty, this meatless meal is the only thing that makes sense. His father has not yet told him about the train accident, so he thinks he was named after Nikolai Gogol only because he is Ashoke's favorite author. With our Essay Lab, you can create a customized outline within seconds to get started on your essay right away. This outlook brought him love, success, and an opportunity to work in the United States. It strikes him that there is no term for what they once were to each other. She believed that he would be incapable of hurting her as Graham had. On the novel's terms, this relationship with an American woman of Bengali descent seems . copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. [12] His early works, such as Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, were influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing, Ukrainian culture and folklore. Gogol was born in the Ukrainian Cossack town of Sorochyntsi, in the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire.His mother was descended from Leonty Kosyarovsky, an officer of the Lubny Regiment in 1710. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Because of this, his desire to pursue an, American lifestyle is questioned. The name Gogol was an important one to Ashoke, who adored Nikolai Gogols work. Much of Moushumi's wedding garb had been purchased for her canceled wedding to Graham. Gogol concludes his feelings about . Open Document. (including. Maxine comes from an extremely wealthy family, and she seems to be the opposite of the type of girl Gogol's parents would want him to date and marry. Gogol's transformation can also be marked by his romantic relationships. The wife of the protagonist is a linguist studying Nikolai Gogol. Gogol gives himself over to this new . Why do you think their love affair can't survive Gogol's grief? [37] "Characteristic of Gogol is a sense of boundless superfluity that is soon revealed as utter emptiness and a rich comedy that suddenly turns into metaphysical horror. Nothing to signify the years his family has lived here, no evidence of the effort, the achievement it had been. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Gogol Ganguli, the son of Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli, struggles with his dual identity due to two different cultures in his life and, more importantly, his name. That here at Maxines side, in this cloistered wilderness, he is free. They had both acted on the same impulse, that was their mistake. His name represents the life-saving book that Ashoke was clutching when he was rescued. "[35] According to Andrey Bely, Gogol's work influenced the emergence of Gothic romance, and served as a forerunner for absurdism and impressionism. [19] A second volume was published in 1832, followed by two volumes of stories entitled Mirgorod in 1835, and two volumes of miscellaneous prose entitled Arabesques. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Even as they get to know one another, she worked hard to catch up. Latest answer posted March 25, 2017 at 12:45:01 AM. Gogol's parents, Ashima and Ashoke, immigrated to the Boston area from Calcutta, India, in the 1960s. The Ratliffs own the moon that floats over the lake, and the sun and the clouds. Gogol does not understand that part of his identity fully until after his father's death. The two decide to get married, and they have an elaborate Bengali-style ceremony. Equally early he developed a talent for mimicry, which later made him a matchless reader of his own works and induced him to toy with the idea of becoming an actor. and so he and Ashima decide that the family will spend eight months in Calcutta. The weather is gray, and. It provides no solace at all. eNotes Editorial, 22 Mar. 4 chapters | Towards the end of the novel The Namesake, this disgusting name Gogol became the name of legacy when his father died. In 1963 an animated version of Gogol's classic surrealist story "The Nose" was made by Alexandre Alexeieff and Claire Parker, using the pinscreen animation technique, for the National Film Board of Canada. His second relationship, with Maxine Ratliff, becomes so serious that Gogol begins living with Maxine and her parents while barely seeing his own family. The death of Gogol's father causes him to reevaluate his relationship with his family and to reconsider the part his parents and their culture have in shaping his identity. During this time, Ashoke dies, and Gogol feels guilty for being so distant during the past few months. In recent years, however, "The Nose" became the subject of several postmodernist and postcolonial interpretations. when he is with maxine, gogol fully integrates himself into maxine's familyliving with her parents, dining the way they dine, befriending the types of people they befriend, and reading what they read. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Gogol and Moushumi resemble each other in many ways. Based on this work, Vladimir Nabokov published a summary account of Gogol's masterpieces.[42]. Gogol is a head strong American Bengali who is unsure of his place in society. p. 140. Gogol's relationship with his father is struggling. He explained this as a mistake, a practical joke played on him by the Devil. For reasons he cannot explain or necessarily understand, these ancient Puritan spirits, these very first immigrants to America, these bearers of unthinkable, obsolete names, have spoken to him, so much so that in spite of his mothers disgust he refuses to throw them away. Ashoke and Ashima's relationship doesn't show their affection for each other. for a customized plan. As he works, he thinks of Thanksgiving dinner the week before. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. He cannot imagine them contributing to one of their dinner party conversations. Concurrently, he worked at other tasks recast Taras Bulba (1842)[26] and The Portrait, completed his second comedy, Marriage (Zhenitba), wrote the fragment Rome and his most famous short story, "The Overcoat". The book is called the Short stories of Nikolai Gogol. Despite their father and son relationship which . And then he remembers that his parents cant possibly reach him: he has not given them the number, and the Ratliffs are unlisted. They eventually divorce after Moushumi admits to having an affair. He met his future wife during the student protests of 1990 in favor of Ukraine's independence. The Russian TV-3 television series Gogol features Nikolai Gogol as a lead character and presents a fictionalized version of his life that mixes his history with elements from his various stories. Quoted by Vasily Gippius in his monograph. White describes his childhood summertime experiences. [13][14] His later writing satirised political corruption in the Russian Empire (The Government Inspector, Dead Souls). At the party, . One of the most apparent changes was in his "Indian ness". All rights reserved. However, after the death of Ashoke, Gogol starts to appreciate his family and his background more. I had it engraved, she says, and when he turns the flask over he sees the letters NG. Miraculously, he survived the train accident because a rescuer noticed a page from Nikolai Gogol's ''The Overcoat'' near Ashoke in the rubble. What is meant by the word "namesake" in "The Namesake"? Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! What are some differences between Bengali and American customs, traditions or practices? As Gogol drives Ashoke's rental car to the rental office of his apartment building, he wonders if a man outside the building mistakes him for his father. As a result, Gogol seeks out other connections with, women that symbolize more of an American way of life. 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