The closest intimacy they share before their wedding is when Ashima steps briefly, secretly, into Ashoke's shoes. Gogol's transformation can also be marked by his romantic relationships. He later starts to date his future wife, Moushumi. His parents' funeral customs, begin to make sense to Gogol now that he's a little older. They start dating, and it's serious. 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. Nikolai Gogol. has read the books she brought dozens of times by the end of their stay. The first Russian intellectual to publicly preach the economic theories of Karl Marx, Belinsky accused Gogol of betraying his readership by defending the status quo. Gogol, about to embark on a new life in college, wishes to do away with the name he hates and attempt to try on a new identity, one that he has complete control over. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Towards the end of the novel The Namesake, this disgusting name Gogol became the name of legacy when his father died. The novel is told through the sensibilities of four different characters, Gogol Ganguli, his mother Ashima, his father Ashoke, and his wife Moushumi, all of whom reveal different aspects of the material world and the personal relationships which are a part of each character's outer identity. Words: 403 Length: 1 Pages Topic: Literature Paper #: 60213251. Mirsky declared it "a piece of sheer play, almost sheer nonsense". One night he goes to a party with his coworker Evan, and he meets a woman named Maxine Ratliff. Alov." They observe the traditional ten days of mourning, eating only rice and dal. Because of this, his desire to pursue an, American lifestyle is questioned. Why does the name "Gogol" have special meaning for Ashoke in "The Namesake"? New York: New Directions. 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. At school, kids constantly tease him about his name. Maxine and Gogol part ways. However, after the death of Ashoke, Gogol starts to appreciate his family and his background more. Gogol's marriage and . Gogol attends a night party with his co-worker, Evan. It will be a tiny, odd fact about him, an anecdote, perhaps, for a future dinner party. Latest answer posted March 06, 2009 at 6:23:32 AM. In 1834, Gogol was made Professor of Medieval History at the University of St. Petersburg, a job for which he had no qualifications. The relationship between Moushumi and Gogol is driven by Moushumi's desire which is greater even than Gogol's own, to confirm to a certain image of a modern American. In the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri there are many relationships portrayed throughout the story. However, Gogol's satire was much more sophisticated and unconventional. 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. And yet he cant really blame her. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. In the 1920s a group of Russian short-story writers, known as the Serapion Brothers, placed Gogol among their precursors and consciously sought to imitate his techniques. And when Gogol's father suddenly dies, Gogol's relationship with Maxine is strained and quickly ends. She writes, and then finds her sons number in the address bookunder G for Ganguli and for, Sonia flies back from San Francisco to be with Ashima, while. (including. The name "Gogol" was an important one to Ashoke, who adored . His relationship with Maxine is an extension of this. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. [31] Unveiled in 1909, the statue received praise from Ilya Repin and from Leo Tolstoy as an outstanding projection of Gogol's tortured personality. The magazines he sent it to almost universally derided it. They know him only in the present, not at all in the past. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Continue to start your free trial. For instance, Ashima refuses to display the rubbings of gravestones young Gogol makes with his classmates. It stunned Gogol when critics interpreted The Government Inspector as an indictment of tsarism despite Nicholas I's patronage of the play. The thought is comforting to him. You'll also receive an email with the link. The resolving of Gogol's internal conflict is beginning, as his journey through life continues. And shed assured him that it was understandable, that anyone in his place would have done the same. Not yet. Gogol's relationship with Moushumi was based on secrets and their way of not being more open with each other. "[38] "Gogol's Research on Ukrainian Customs for the Dikan'ka Tales". When Ashoke was younger, he had been in a terrible train accident. He cannot imagine his parents sitting at Lydia and Geralds table, enjoying Lydias cooking, appreciating Geralds selection of wine. Quoted by Vasily Gippius in his monograph. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Throughout the novel, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, the character Gogol changes in many different ways. When Gogol was born, his great-grandmother from India has the obligation of naming him. Ashoke also has traumatic connection to the train-wreck during which he was reading Gogol. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. It appeared in Moscow in 1842, under a new title imposed by the censorship, The Adventures of Chichikov. This is Gogol's response to Maxine's question, shortly after his father's death, regarding whether or not he still wants to go to New Hampshire with her family to celebrate New Year's Eve. Dont have an account? How does the loss of Gogol's father turn him back toward his . Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake, which was originally published in The New Yorker, follows the life and transformation of Gogol Ganguli. It is the photograph more than anything that draws Gogol back to the house again and again, and one day, stepping out of the bathroom on his way to bed and glancing at his fathers smiling face, he realizes that this is the closest thing his father has to a grave. 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[citation needed] He saw the outer world strangely metamorphosed, a singular gift particularly evident from the fantastic spatial transformations in his Gothic stories, "A Terrible Vengeance" and "A Bewitched Place". [44] Of all Gogol's stories, "The Nose" has stubbornly defied all abstruse interpretations: D.S. In the same way that he is unable to comprehend his, parents, they are unable to comprehend him. Instant downloads of all 1682 LitChart PDFs As a whole Gogol's name and he himself was in doubtful situation whether he will consider him as an Indian or as an American. His name continues to be a source of frustration and confusion for many years. "[48], Gogol's oeuvre has also had an impact on Russia's non-literary culture, and his stories have been adapted numerous times into opera and film. 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. Ashoke and Ashima's relationship doesn't show their affection for each other. When they arrive, they are swallowed by the embraces of their relatives, whose special names. She feels out of place at his father's funeral celebration; for once, she is alienated, not Gogol. They give birth to their son, and without even thinking name him Gogol after a famous Russian author. How does Ashima try to make over her home in Cambridge to remind her of what she has left behind in Calcutta? Nothing is locked, not the main house, or the cabin that he and Maxine sleep in. parents invite close to 300 people, taking control of the planning of the wedding themselves. Konstantinovsky seems to have strengthened in Gogol the fear of perdition (damnation) by insisting on the sinfulness of all his imaginative work. Gogol's impact on Russian literature has endured, yet various critics have appreciated his works differently. For instance, Ashima refuses to display the rubbings of gravestones young Gogol makes with his classmates. Download the entire The Namesake study guide as a printable PDF! She is a family acquaintance but she is not family. Shortly after moving to New York City and starting his job at an architectural firm, he meets a woman named Maxine. They marry within the year. Very early he developed a dark and secretive disposition, marked by a painful self-consciousness and boundless ambition. 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. Apart from the permanent absence of his father, is the additional absence of Maxine. How does the loss of Gogol's father turn him back toward his . Without people in the world to call him Gogol, no matter how long he himself lives, Gogol Ganguli will, once and for all, vanish from the lips of loved ones, and so, cease to exist. Though she knows its not his fault, she cant help but associate him, at times, with a sense of resignation, with the very life she has resisted, has struggled so mightily to leave behind. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. He decides that it is her very familiarity that makes him curious about her, and as he begins to walk west, to the subway, he wonders when he might see her again. 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. 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. Lake In the short story "Once More to the Lake," author E.B. [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. baby namesthe names of Popes, nonsense namesand baby name books are passed around the table. Following the death of his father, Gogol becomes interested in making his family happy and reconnecting with his Indian background. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Gogol, page 182. SparkNotes PLUS Sometimes it can end up there. He was standing there, waiting for Gogol to catch up, putting out a hand as Gogol drew near. Purchasing White describes his childhood summertime experiences. Gogol regrets taking his fathers presence for granted. Gogol learns a lot from this connection, and his outlook on life, alters. : "" . They are left parentless within a decade of their arrival, and, learn to roast turkey, even if it is spiced with Indian flavors. The comedy, a violent satire of Russian provincial bureaucracy, was staged thanks only to the intervention of the emperor, Nicholas I. Ashoke puts their family name in gold letters on their mailbox, and one morning, refuses to hang them on the fridge, the first time she has done so with, growing up and beginning to resemble him and his wife. Gogol is also inspired by the design of the Taj Mahal when the family visits India together, when he is in high school. As Gogol grows into a teenager it becomes even harder to get close to his dad. His principal work during the years following Pushkin's death was the satirical epic Dead Souls. 7 Pages. Because he grew up hating his name, he associated his name with his heritage and in turn grew to hate his family's traditions. Let us know your assignment type and we'll make sure to get you exactly the kind of answer you need. The academic venture proved a disaster: He turned in a performance ludicrous enough to warrant satiric treatment in one of his own stories. She wonders if she is the only woman in her family ever to have betrayed her husband, to have been unfaithful. And when Gogol's father suddenly dies, Gogol's relationship with Maxine is strained and quickly ends. She believed that he would be incapable of hurting her as Graham had. As a result he starts to reconnect with his family, something that is causing him to question his lifestyle. 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. Only a few hours old and already the owner of books. What a difference, he thinks, from the childhood he has known. . Clearly, Maxine was just a symbol of unmet desires to become an American. Teachers and parents! But Gogol is attached to them. 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. | Certified Educator Gogol, as a child who was born and brought up in America, thinks that the arranged marriage . Gogol had three serious relationships with Ruth, Maxine and Moushumi one of which he ended up marrying. Anyone could walk in. She has given birth to vagabonds. It was adapted also for radio by Adam Beeson and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 24 December 2008[57] and subsequently rebroadcast on both Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra on Christmas Eve 2010, 2011 and 2015.[58]. Gogol had proposed to her by presenting her with the expensive hat that she had tried on during their first date. Until theyd met tonight, he had never seen her outside the context of her family, or she his. Each year his father would rent a camping spot for a whole month and the family would play and go fishing in the lake. He then starts a relationship with another Bengali-American named Moushumi. 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. This is different than his parents, who are primarily only friends with other Bengali immigrants. Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko wrote his Christmas Eve ( , with libretto in Ukrainian by Mykhailo Starytsky) in 1872. Throughout his life, Gogol struggles with his identity. Based on this work, Vladimir Nabokov published a summary account of Gogol's masterpieces.[42]. 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. The stories adapted were "The Two Ivans", "The Overcoat", "Ivan Fyodorovich Shponka and His Aunt", "The Nose", "The Mysterious Portrait" and "Diary of a Madman". Gogol was mourned in the Saint Tatiana church at the Moscow University before his burial and then buried at the Danilov Monastery, close to his fellow Slavophile Aleksey Khomyakov. What are some literary techniques used in The Namesake? Gogolslife in New York, in turn, leads to his third set of transformationswithin romantic relationships. But these cartoons have a convincingness, a truthfulness, and inevitability attained as a rule by slight but definitive strokes of unexpected reality that seems to beggar the visible world itself. Create your account. A suicide had been committed, a person had jumped in front of the train . Gogol's father gave him that name serving a link to a secret past, and the hope of a better future. As she strokes and suckles and studies her son, she cant help but pity him. But after eighteen years of Gogol, two months of Nikhil feel scant, inconsequential. Lucky boy, Ashoke remarks, turning the beautifully sewn pages. I feel like its a lifeline. Throughout his life, Gogol finds himself caught between the world of his parents and American culture. His relationship with Maxine was . At times throughout his life, he resists certain aspects of his parents' culture. Not to be confused with. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Gogol/Nikhil Ganguli appears in, the room. 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. What draws Gogol to his many lovers, especially to Ruth . Gogol's relationship with his family, as previously mentioned, was a rocky one. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% Yet the thought of this eventual demise provides no sense of victory, no solace. And yet the familiarity that had once drawn her to him has begun to keep her at bay. Gogol's decision to become Nikhil occurs before he knows his father's story in detail. There is only one complication: he doesnt feel like Nikhil. [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. The three women he had a relationship with were Ruth, Maxine Ratliff, and Moushumi Mazoomdar. In particular, Gogol seems not to recognize that Maxine truly loves him, and wishes to know his familys practices in detail. Why do you think their love affair can't survive Gogol's grief? In 2009, in connection with the bicentennial of Gogol's birth, the bust was moved to the museum at Novodevichy Cemetery, and the original Golgotha stone was returned, along with a copy of the original Orthodox cross. His relationship with Maxine was strong because he was . He is presented with a plate full of soil, a pen, and a dollar bill. Ashima, now Monu, weeps with relief, and Ashoke, now Mithu, kisses his brothers on both cheeks, holds their heads in his hands. 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. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Gogol is a head strong American Bengali who is unsure of his place in society. notice that the narration seems to be taking on more of Moushumis perspective, referring to, surprised by the instant attraction she felt. Like Sterne before him, Gogol was a great destroyer of prohibitions and of romantic illusions. This argument is clearly evident in Gogol's relationship with Maxine Ratliff and. Why would he do this? Gogol makes with his classmates. Gogol does not understand that part of his identity fully until after his father's death. Wed love to have you back! At times he is conscious of the fact that his immersion in Maxines family is a betrayal of his own. By morning, half the people in the room will have forgotten. [13][14] His later writing satirised political corruption in the Russian Empire (The Government Inspector, Dead Souls). The most of Gogol's life, he removes himself from both of his parents. Gogol's romantic encounters are very different from what his parents experienced or expected for their son. His father had been reading a book by him one day while he was on a train in between the two cities Calcutta and Jamshedpur. Gogol attends a panel on Indian novels because his distant cousin Amit is a panelist. [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. Eventually, Gogol decides to abide by his mother's wishes and go on a date with Moushumi, a family friend. As a child, Gogol helped stage plays in his uncle's home theater.[18]. Ashoke and Ashima's relationship doesn't show their affection for each other. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! This is what upsets him most. If he picks the soil, he will be a landowner. Father Son Relationship. The stone was later reused for the tomb of Gogol's admirer Mikhail Bulgakov. It is a place that has been good to them, as much a part of them as a member of the family. The guests begin to arrive, chattering in Bengali and expressing their regret at Ashimas departure. His father questions his motivations by asking who did not take his son seriously due to his name alone. He thinks of his life at fourteen, when he was still, with the names of each of her children, her husband, and her own. The fact that she is so different from him is what attracts Gogol. Gogol's parents, Ashima and Ashoke, immigrated to the Boston area from Calcutta, India, in the 1960s. [15][16], Gogol was born in the Ukrainian Cossack town of Sorochyntsi,[17] in the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire. They fall for each other rather quickly, but it becomes obvious that his parents don't fully support his relationship with the ''American''. 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. In The Namesake, how does Gogol's definition of home change throughout the novel? Please wait while we process your payment. are tourists from the West. A sequel entitled Gogol: Viy was released in April 2018 and the third film Gogol: Terrible Revenge debuted in August 2018. Open Document. Even as they get to know one another, she worked hard to catch up. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. [32], D. S. Mirsky characterizes Gogol's universe as "one of the most marvellous, unexpected in the strictest sense, original[33] worlds ever created by an artist of words". Each woman, in turn, marks a stage in Gogols development. "Antisemitism in Literature and in the Arts", Journal: Jewish News, Events, Los Angeles, "ru:200 .. 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When, her the news Ashima feels instinctively that her grandmother has died. His father tells him the story behind his name. Out for drinks with his classmates one night, new name, and the fact that she was taught as a child to call him, leave, and then, spontaneously, to have dinner. In January. It was there that he began writing. And then the house will be occupied by strangers, and there will be no trace that they were ever there, no house to enter, no name in the telephone directory. Nikhil/Gogol Ganguli Timeline in The Namesake The sudden death of Ashima's husband and Gogol and Sonia's father, Ashoke Ganguli, is a drastic turning point in their life. After defending autocracy, serfdom, and the Orthodox Church in his book Selected Passages from Correspondence with his Friends (1847), Gogol came under attack from his former patron Vissarion Belinsky. . The wife of the protagonist is a linguist studying Nikolai Gogol. After learning the meaning behind his name in English class, He could not understand why his father would name him Gogol. But it seems perfectly natural in the story that he and his cohorts be drowned in the Dniper by the Cossack lords. In their personal life "they want to settle life like their parents but their . again with Moushumi. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. 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. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol[a] (1 April[O.S. If he picks the pen, he will be a scholar. According to Viktor Shklovsky, Gogol's strange style of writing resembles the "ostranenie" technique of defamiliarization. : , , , , . When Gogol's father dies he is reminded of his family's culture. That evening, Ashoke gives Gogol a copy of The Short Stories of Nikolai Gogol. on 50-99 accounts. Named after his father's beloved Russian author, he sees no identity in his name, which is neither Indian nor American nor even Russian 921 Words 4 Pages Good Essays Read More 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. The marriage of Ashima and Ashoke is arranged by their families. Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake centers on the life of Gogol Ganguli. $24.99 I think that Gogol begins to move back into his family's life because he feels guilty after his father's death. 752 Words; [65] The episodes were also released theatrically starting with Gogol. After years of clandestine relationships, it felt refreshing to court in a fishbowl, to have the support of her parents from the very start, the inevitability of an unquestioned future, of marriage, drawing them along. She liked that hed changed his name from, unsatisfying, and she feels too sober, her discomfort growing. Gogol's father embraces their new life, while his mother longs for her homeland. The Gogol Family The movie's focal point was on an Indian immigrant couple coming from Calcutta to the United States after an arranged marriage. The two decide to get married, and they have an elaborate Bengali-style ceremony. Gogol was looking for the missing pieces of himself in all three of his relationships. After graduating, he dates Maxine, a woman who represents everything that Gogol thinks he wants. Gogol views his relationship with Maxine as the height of his "American-ness" so far in his life. Gogol, was born, the mishap with family back in India and the reasoning for his name will affect his life forever. "[47], Despite his portrayal of Jewish characters, Gogol left a powerful impression even on Jewish writers who inherited his literary legacy. I had it engraved, she says, and when he turns the flask over he sees the letters NG. Gogol is mentioned several times in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Poor Folk and Crime and Punishment and Chekhov's The Seagull. [41], The period of literary modernism saw a revival of interest in and a change of attitude towards Gogol's work. In 1926 Vsevolod Meyerhold staged The Government Inspector as a "comedy of the absurd situation", revealing to his fascinated spectators a corrupt world of endless self-deception. Instead, Lahiris narrator focuses on Gogols life with three women: Ruth in college, Maxine in New York, and, finally, Moushumi, his wife. It strikes him that there is no term for what they once were to each other. 4 chapters | house down a remote dirt road and find Gerald and Lydia, lounging with their books. Gogol keeps the relationship a secret from his parents. The Beginning in August 2017. Relationship between Gogol and the father, A major part of the novel "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri is the portrayal of each, character's goals and their progress via the use of relationships. Well, it is quite a remarkable story. [12] His early works, such as Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, were influenced by his Ukrainian upbringing, Ukrainian culture and folklore. Each of these girls had both a positive and negative impact on Gogol's life. This period of mourning resembles in some ways Gogol's shock in the aftermath of his father's death. Ashoke is about to explain the story behind Gogol's name but at the last moment . After his father's death, Gogol gradually returns to his Indian traditions, takes care of his mother and sister, abandons the life he could have with Maxine, then marries a Bengali woman. Gogol is unable to return to Maxine's world "in which nothing had changed" after his father's death, showing a sense of hidden anger and blame. movies when the Apu trilogy is playing, or to a Kathakali dance or sitar performance. What is meant by the word "namesake" in "The Namesake"? On the night of 24 February 1852 he burned some of his manuscripts, which contained most of the second part of Dead Souls. Although they both never planned on being in a relationship with another Bengali, they get married. From the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. His pictures of nature are strange mounds of detail heaped on detail, resulting in an unconnected chaos of things: "His people are caricatures, drawn with the method of the caricaturist which is to exaggerate salient features and to reduce them to geometrical pattern. Renews January 24, 2023 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. Some critics have paid attention to the apparent anti-Semitism in Gogol's writings, as well as in those of his contemporary, Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He vacations with Maxine's family instead of returning home to visit his own, and embeds himself in their rituals. The book is called the Short stories of Nikolai Gogol. All rights reserved. In this lesson, you will read about Gogol, the protagonist from Jhumpa Lahiri's ''The Namesake.'' Gogol is called away from the fantasy he had built for himself with Maxine, where he is now "Nick" - a further sign of the new, Americanized identity he has built himself there. The novel Taras Bulba (1835), the play Marriage (1842), and the short stories "The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovich Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovich", "The Portrait" and "The Carriage", are also among his best-known works. The notes start in an ironic . Gogol's identity is enhanced by the fluid relationship he holds with his family. And then he remembers that his parents cant possibly reach him: he has not given them the number, and the Ratliffs are unlisted. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. His second relationship, with Maxine Ratliff, becomes so serious that Gogol begins living with Maxine and her parents while barely seeing his own family. After resisting his parents' company for so long in favor of Maxine and her parents, Gogol now finds himself lingering in his father's empty apartment in Cleveland, spending weeks with his mother and sister in the house on Pemberton Road. Shed been thirteen or so, doing her homework on her bed. He has two serious relationships with non-Bengali womenthe first in college, the second after finishing a master's degree at Columbia University in New York City. He intensified his relationship with a starets or spiritual elder, Matvey Konstantinovsky, whom he had known for several years. He meets a girl named Maxine at a party. During this time, the Russian critics Stepan Shevyrev and Vissarion Belinsky, contradicting the earlier critics, reclassified Gogol from a Ukrainian to a Russian writer. Through the window he sees that dawn is creeping into the sky, only a handful of stars still visible, the shapes of the surrounding pines and cabins growing distinct. Interesting choice, right? Gogol and Sonia know these people, but they do not feel close to them as their parents do. He also dislikes the fact that he was named after Nikolai Gogol. Gogol's relationships in The Namesake A namesake is someone or something that has the same name as another person or thing. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Because youre Gogol.. creating and saving your own notes as you read. Belinsky, for instance, berated his horror stories as "moribund, monstrous works", while Andrei Bely counted them among his most stylistically daring creations. Hed confessed to her that he still felt guilty at times for changing his name, more so now that his father was dead. While visiting the capitals, he stayed with friends such as Mikhail Pogodin and Sergey Aksakov. For this reason, he decides to name his son Gogol. By 1994, Gogol has received his graduate architecture degree from Columbia and is working at an architecture firm in New York City. With the death of his father and the reevaluation of his behavior, his family plays a role in his identity as he spends more time with them, even entertaining the idea of marrying the Bengalese girls, Moushumi. By the end of the book, Gogol is single again and unsure of what his future will hold. As a child of immigrants, Gogol often feels foreign in America. In the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri there are many relationships portrayed throughout the story. Vladim Joseph Rossman, Vadim Rossman, Vidal Sassoon. In 1894 (i.e., just after Tchaikovsky's death), Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the libretto and music for his own opera based on the same story. Free trial is available to new customers only. Gogol painted him as supremely exploitative, cowardly, and repulsive, albeit capable of gratitude. As if that time were a name hed ceased to use. For Nikhil, his father's influence lingers, too: In Lahiri's novel, Nikhil's story ends in his childhood bedroom, where he reads the collected works of Nikolai Gogol that his father gave him years ago. Later, Gogol's father dies, and the unexpected happens. Gogol's Problematic Relationship To His Name. Suddenly, Ashoke has an idea, and reaches out to his son, calling him, Three days later, everyone has returned to work as usual, and Ashima is alone with, sons development, telling them that she and Ashoke are planning a trip to India after, brides, sharing recipes to approximate Indian dishes and discussing Indian politics, music, and movies. During this time, Ashoke dies, and Gogol feels guilty for being so distant during the past few months. For example, at one time, he tells himself that he will never seek friendships or relationships with other Bengali-Americans. 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 made peace with who he is in the world, something that includes embracing his own familial background. At the rice ceremony, an infant Gogol experiences an important Indian tradition that predicts his future path in life. Gogol's relationship to Maxine, for example, an upper class New Yorker who lives at home with her stylish and modern parents, evolves to the point of offering Gogol an alternative home. His genius does not dwell in philosophical dialogues, allegory, or involved interior monologue as do the realist novels of the latter half of the century. The principle of these are: the tradition of the Ukrainian folk and, "The structure of the stories themselves seemed especially unskilful and clumsy to me; in one story I noted excess and verbosity, and an absence of simplicity in the style". In April 1848, Gogol returned to Russia from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and passed his last years in restless movement throughout the country. Part of the problem is that the people who now know him as Nikhil have no idea that he used to be Gogol. Gogol and Moushumi's relationship moves quickly. His name represents the life-saving book that Ashoke was clutching when he was rescued. Gogol tells the hospital to send his father's ashes home, and is shown the bed where he died. 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. His father "tells Gogol the story of the train he'd ridden twenty-eight years ago [and] the "book that had saved him". Despite the support of Alexander Pushkin and Sergey Uvarov, the Russian minister of education, the appointment was blocked by a bureaucrat on the grounds that Gogol was unqualified. Struggling with distance learning? Its hard to believe that his mother is really going, that for months she will be so far. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% However, it is only after his father's death that Gogol comes to understand just how deeply his parents did love each other and that it was just their culture that prevented them from. Gogol begins to grapple with how distant he has grown from his family roots. They date for a while in college, while Gogol is studying architecture. 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. is poured into a fire that the hotels management will not allow to be lit. You cant do that, shed told him then, shaking her head, and when hed asked her why not shed simply said, Because you cant. In August 1994, Gogol goes with Maxine on a drive up to New Hampshire. During this time, he also developed a close and lifelong friendship with the historian and naturalist Mykhaylo Maksymovych.[22]. Read about how Gogol's name impacts his life and causes him to struggle with his identity as a Bengali-American. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.. eNotes Editorial, 22 Mar. In 1841, the first part of Dead Souls was ready, and Gogol took it to Russia to supervise its printing. It was also adapted into the Russian FMV video game Viy: The Story Retold (2004). For as grateful as she feels for the company these acquaintances are only substitutes for the people who really ought to be surrounding them. ", "Le nom de Nikola Gogol est immortalis la place de la Bourse Paris". At times he feels as if hes cast himself in a play, acting the part of twins, indistinguishable to the naked eye yet fundamentally different. How does the loss of Gogol's father turn him back toward his family? There is no question of skipping this meal; on the contrary, for ten evenings the three of them are strangely hungry, eager to taste the blandness on their plates. 1229 Words5 Pages. Latest answer posted March 13, 2019 at 4:46:10 PM. The next morning, after disposing of the last few things. Living a relatively protected life in the United States, Gogol cannot begin to fathom where his father is coming from, and has thought of his father as a symbol of old fashioned cultural tradition. [34], A characteristic of Gogol's writing is his 'impressionist' vision of reality and people. Create an account to start this course today. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. They allow Sonia and. From that day on, Ashoke had a new outlook and attitude about life. [67], Russian writer of Ukrainian origin (18091852), "Gogol" redirects here. 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'. He also feels this way when his family visits India. At his fourteenth birthday party, Gogol meets Moushumi, a Bengali British girl near his own age whose family has just moved to Boston from England. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Their parents were friends, not they. Gogol was one of the first to use the technique of the grotesque, in works such as "The Nose", "Viy", "The Overcoat", and "Nevsky Prospekt". ashtrays still sealed. comments in Bengali to avoid being overheard. For much of the twelve years from 1836, Gogol was in Italy, where he developed an adoration for Rome. This does not mean that numerous influences cannot be discerned in his work. As was typical of the left-bank Ukrainian gentry of the early nineteenth century, the family spoke Ukrainian as well as Russian. Gogol had three serious relationships with Ruth, Maxine and Moushumi one of which he ended up marrying. Gogol's relationship with his father is struggling. Unfortunately, Moushumi grows unhappy with Gogol. Above all, Yankel is ridiculous, and the image of the plucked chicken that Gogol used has made the rounds of great Russian authors. By contrast, Moushumi, who is of Gogols world, wants constantly to leave that world, to make a new, more intellectually rich life for herself among her cosmopolitan New York friends. 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. 2011, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/how-does-gogols-relationship-family-influences-250659. "In The Namesake, how does Gogol's relationship to his family influence the development of his identity?" Gogol was in a few different relationships over the course of Namesake. As he navigates through his life and failed relationships, Gogol constantly finds himself caught between two identities and cultures. He studied art, read Italian literature and developed a passion for opera. When Gogol is born, the Gangulis meet other Bengali families with small children, and Ashima finds with the new baby that "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? p. 140. They hang a painting by Ashimas father in the living room. As they both unwind in their hotel room afterward, craving Indian food they trek out to Jackson Diner in Queens. How does the loss of Gogol's father turn him back toward his family? They wonder why a Bengali-American is named after a Russian man. Between 1832 and 1836, Gogol worked with great energy, and had extensive contact with Pushkin, but he still had not yet decided that his ambitions were to be fulfilled by success in literature. Explain the significance of cultural aspects of identity in The Namesake. Rynosuke Akutagawa considered Gogol along with Edgar Poe his favorite writers. [52][53][54][55] Several commemorative coins have been issued from Russia and the USSR. They did not know that Dead Souls was but the first part of a planned modern-day counterpart to the Divine Comedy of Dante. At the party, . One of the pioneering works of Russian formalism was Eichenbaum's reappraisal of "The Overcoat". 1703 Words. when she was fourteen. However, as Gogol grows up, he starts to hate his name. Ashoke begins to explain to. Gogol's father, Ashoke Ganguli, is the secondary character in which his acts play a very important role to this work, impacting Gogol's everyday life. Like Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Gogol sharply disagreed with those Russians who preached constitutional monarchy and the disestablishment of the Orthodox Church. Gogol had three serious relationships with Ruth, Maxine and Moushumi one of which he ended up marrying. 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. Summary and Analysis Chapter 4. He met his future wife during the student protests of 1990 in favor of Ukraine's independence. Gogol helped stage plays in his place would have done the same way that he to... Was originally published in the Namesake, which contained most of the problem is that the seems! Close and lifelong friendship with the link are unable to comprehend his parents! Nikhil have no idea that he is reminded of his parents meaning behind his,... 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