Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake, which was originally published in The New Yorker, follows the life and transformation of Gogol Ganguli. Gogol is mentioned several times in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Poor Folk and Crime and Punishment and Chekhov's The Seagull. He is presented with a plate full of soil, a pen, and a dollar bill. Because of this, his desire to pursue an, American lifestyle is questioned. Not to be confused with. Over the rise and fall of the wind, he could hear his father's laughter. The Beginning in August 2017. This is seen in the choices he makes and the overall demeanor he possesses: In this light, Gogol defines his identity against that of his family. When Gogol asks his father, when he is college, whether the name Gogol reminds Ashoke of nearly dying, Ashoke counters that Gogol is for him a name of hope, of joyof life. He does not have an interest in it because he has never been inspired to read Gogol. . During this period, he also spent much time with his old Ukrainian friends, Maksymovych and Osyp Bodiansky. When this relationship sours, Gogol's embrace of his name with the reading of a collection of the writer's work helps to establish that Gogol is more of a centered human being as he has. 20% After the triumph of Dead Souls, Gogol's contemporaries came to regard him as a great satirist who lampooned the unseemly sides of Imperial Russia. 752 Words; house down a remote dirt road and find Gerald and Lydia, lounging with their books. In 1841, the first part of Dead Souls was ready, and Gogol took it to Russia to supervise its printing. Why would he do this? He later starts to date his future wife, Moushumi. Gogol asks him if he reminds him of that night that he almost died, and his father says no; he reminds him of "everything that followed." Chapter 6 begins in 1994, and now Gogol is living in a tiny apartment in New York working as an architect. It isnt simply the fact that his parents dont know about Maxine it is his knowledge that apart from their affluence, Gerald and Lydia are secure in a way his parents will never be. Instant downloads of all 1682 LitChart PDFs Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake centers on the life of Gogol Ganguli. Before Gogol goes off to college at Yale, he decides to officially change his name from Gogol to Nikhil, this name change represents a maturation as he attempts to find his own identity. When Gogol is born, the Gangulis meet other Bengali families with small children, and Ashima finds that with a new baby "perfect strangers, all Americans, suddenly take notice of her, smiling, congratulating her for what she's done." How, for all of us, do children change our place in the community, and what we expect from it? Outside of Russia, the film loosely served as the inspiration for Mario Bava's film Black Sunday (1960) and the South Korean horror film Evil Spirit: Viy (2008). [15][16], Gogol was born in the Ukrainian Cossack town of Sorochyntsi,[17] in the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire. Growing up in a suburban town in Massachusetts, with intermittent, long trips to Calcutta, Gogol quickly becomes conscious of the difference between his parents' culture and the world in which he lives. say goodbye to Ashoke before he leaves for a prestigious nine-month teaching fellowship in Ohio. Wed love to have you back! You'll also receive an email with the link. Although they both never planned on being in a relationship with another Bengali, they get married. However, Gogol's satire was much more sophisticated and unconventional. She tries to hide this from, unable at first to find it in the mess of books shared by her and, telling herself she is reconnecting with an old friend, but keeping it a secret from. The authorities moved the Golgotha stone to the new gravesite, but removed the cross; in 1952 the Soviets replaced the stone with a bust of Gogol. Not yet. Get access to all 5 pages and additional benefits: Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. [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. She feels out of place at his father's funeral celebration; for once, she is alienated, not Gogol. While visiting the capitals, he stayed with friends such as Mikhail Pogodin and Sergey Aksakov. She passes over two pages filled only with the addresses of her daughter, and then her son. In the Namesake, how can we compare Gogol's two main relationships, Maxine and Moushumi? American culture and values, at the same time retaining his parents' Indian heritage and now is proud of his name Nikhil Gogol Ganguli and all it means. Gogol and Moushumi's relationship moves quickly. During this time, he also developed a close and lifelong friendship with the historian and naturalist Mykhaylo Maksymovych.[22]. He met his future wife during the student protests of 1990 in favor of Ukraine's independence. Gogol's story "Viy" was adapted into film by Russian filmmakers four times: the original Viy in 1967; the horror film Vedma (aka The Power of Fear) in 2006; the action-horror film Viy in 2014; and the horror film Gogol Viy released in 2018. They wonder why a Bengali-American is named after a Russian man. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. For example, at one time, he tells himself that he will never seek friendships or relationships with other Bengali-Americans. His grave was marked by a large stone (Golgotha), topped by a Russian Orthodox cross. He wonders how his parents had done it, leaving their respective families behind, seeing them so seldom, dwelling unconnected, in a perpetual state of expectation, of longing. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. It is his father's unexpected and unfortunate death that brings him close to the family. Amelia Glaser. [45] Felix Dreizin and David Guaspari, for example, in their The Russian Soul and the Jew: Essays in Literary Ethnocentrism, discuss "the significance of the Jewish characters and the negative image of the Ukrainian Jewish community in Gogol's novel Taras Bulba, pointing out Gogol's attachment to anti-Jewish prejudices prevalent in Russian and Ukrainian culture. The book is called the Short stories of Nikolai Gogol. Gogolslife in New York, in turn, leads to his third set of transformationswithin romantic relationships. Gogol himself, an adherent of the Slavophile movement, believed in a divinely inspired mission for both the House of Romanov and the Russian Orthodox Church. It is as if a building hed been responsible for designing had collapsed for all to see. Gogol had three serious relationships with Ruth, Maxine and Moushumi one of which he ended up marrying. It will make sense to you one day," and Nikhil aims to learn why. He meets a girl named Maxine at a party. Gogol's father embraces their new life, while his mother longs for her homeland. Gogol's relationship with Moushumi was based on secrets and their way of not being more open with each other. Ashima, now Monu, weeps with relief, and Ashoke, now Mithu, kisses his brothers on both cheeks, holds their heads in his hands. White describes his childhood summertime experiences. Gogol's decision to become Nikhil occurs before he knows his father's story in detail. 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Contact us Gogol's transformation can also be marked by his romantic relationships. The stone was later reused for the tomb of Gogol's admirer Mikhail Bulgakov. The thought is comforting to him. In January. [56] Streets have been named after Gogol in various towns, including Moscow, Sofia, Lipetsk, Odessa, Myrhorod, Krasnodar, Vladimir, Vladivostok, Penza, Petrozavodsk, Riga, Bratislava, Belgrade, Harbin and many other towns and cities. Gogol is not entirely dissimilar to his father, in this way. She has never known of a person entering the world so alone, so deprived. At the rice ceremony, an infant Gogol experiences an important Indian tradition that predicts his future path in life. Gogol realizes, only after his father is gone, how little of his father he knew, or what his father chose to reveal to him over time. His father Vasily Gogol-Yanovsky, who died when Gogol was 15 years old, was supposedly a descendant of Ukrainian Cossacks (see Lyzohub family) and belonged to the 'petty gentry'. So, although he had once promised himself that he would never have a romantic relationship with another Bengali-American, he can't deny the connection he has with Moushumi. How does the loss of Gogol's father turn him back toward his family? One of the most apparent changes was in his "Indian ness". BBC Radio 4 made a series of six Gogol short stories, entitled Three Ivans, Two Aunts and an Overcoat (2002, adaptations by Jim Poyser) starring Griff Rhys-Jones and Stephen Moore. "[43] Critics traditionally interpreted "The Overcoat" as a masterpiece of "humanitarian realism", but Nabokov and some other attentive readers argued that "holes in the language" make the story susceptible to interpretation as a supernatural tale about a ghostly double of a "small man". From that day on, Ashoke had a new outlook and attitude about life. Gogol's Problematic Relationship To His Name. When Ashoke was younger, he had been in a terrible train accident. By the end of the book, Gogol is single again and unsure of what his future will hold. 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. As soon as Ashoke dies, Gogol begins to remember all of the happy memories that he had shared with his father. is poured into a fire that the hotels management will not allow to be lit. Throughout his life, Gogol finds himself caught between the world of his parents and American culture. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. ", The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich, Saint Vladimir Imperial University of Kiev, Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, "Gogol: russe et ukrainien en mme temps", "Gogol's eloquentia corporis: Einverleibung, Identitaet und die Grenzen der Figuration by Natasha Drubek-Meyer", "The Nationalism of Nikolai Gogol': Betwixt and Between? And yet the familiarity that had once drawn her to him has begun to keep her at bay. Nothing is locked, not the main house, or the cabin that he and Maxine sleep in. For much of the twelve years from 1836, Gogol was in Italy, where he developed an adoration for Rome. . What are some literary techniques used in The Namesake? As if that time were a name hed ceased to use. The Ratliffs own the moon that floats over the lake, and the sun and the clouds. Suddenly he regrets having ever told Moushumi; he wonders whether shell proclaim the story of his fathers accident to the table as well. His relationship with Maxine was . Nothing to signify the years his family has lived here, no evidence of the effort, the achievement it had been. Ruth was Gogol's first real girlfriend who he went to . Pushkin's death produced a strong impression on Gogol. According to Viktor Shklovsky, Gogol's strange style of writing resembles the "ostranenie" technique of defamiliarization. Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko wrote his Christmas Eve ( , with libretto in Ukrainian by Mykhailo Starytsky) in 1872. Gogol's identity is enhanced by the fluid relationship he holds with his family. Ashoke has not told him the truth because he wants to wait for the right time, for all Gogol knows, his father got the limp from a high school soccer playing injury. Gogol, page 182. It is a place that has been good to them, as much a part of them as a member of the family. In 2009, the National Bank of Ukraine issued a commemorative coin dedicated to Gogol. By 1994, Gogol has received his graduate architecture degree from Columbia and is working at an architecture firm in New York City. Summary and Analysis Chapter 4. Ashoke once told him, "We all came out of Gogol's overcoat. They prepare the house, taking photographs of. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. They hang a painting by Ashimas father in the living room. When he grows up, he tries to separate himself from these traditions by avoiding the Bengali themed parties his parents throw and . Without a single grandparent or parent or uncle or aunt at her side, the babys birth, like most everything else in America, feels somehow haphazard, only half true. Because he grew up hating his name, he associated his name with his heritage and in turn grew to hate his family's traditions. After Ashoke's death and Gogol's breakup with Maxine, it is, Access to our library of course-specific study resources, Up to 40 questions to ask our expert tutors, Unlimited access to our textbook solutions and explanations. | She asks. Although he recognized "several young writers" who "have shown a particular desire to observe real life", he upbraided the deficient composition and style of their works. creating and saving your own notes as you read. That here at Maxines side, in this cloistered wilderness, he is free. Gogol and Moushumi resemble each other in many ways. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Gogol/Nikhil Ganguli appears in, the room. This cultural disorientation is actually realized when Moushumi breaks off her relationship with the American Graham. It provides no solace at all. He cannot imagine them contributing to one of their dinner party conversations. Just two years later, in 1874, Tchaikovsky composed his version under the title Vakula the Smith (with Russian libretto by Yakov Polonsky) and revised it in 1885 as Cherevichki (The Tsarina's Slippers). For this reason, he decides to name his son Gogol. Gogol the child is the happy outcome of a terrible event in Ashokes younger days. 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.
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