chapter 8 Summary and personal respond

Summary

In chapter 8 of the novel “The Namesake” by Jumpha Lahiri , Nikhil breaks up with Maxine after his father had death, and he learns from Maxime’s parents that she has a new boyfriend. Gogol spend all weekends with his mother and sister, who now live together in Massachusetts; in one of these visits, her mother persuades him to call Moushumi , who is the daughter of her friends, lives in New York and is a graduate  student in French at NYU; also, she doesn’t married because days before her wedding she and her boyfriend broke up.  Although, Gogol vaguely remembers her, he calls and invites her for a drink, and she accepts. Therefore, they have a nice time, she invites him for a dinner in her apartment where they sleep together, and over three months they start dating. Moushumi tells to Gogol about her relationship with Graham, who was her fiancé and the reason why she came back to New York. However, the broke up because Graham talked bad things about her Indian customs.

 Personal Response

In chapter 8 of the novel “The Namesake” Gogol is thirty years old and doesn’t marry, but he doesn’t worry about this. However, Ashima is concerned about that his son is single because at that age she had celebrated her then wedding anniversary. I think that Ashima is worry about that Gogol is single because in her culture people get married young. It is like to my country, where year ago people were married at the age of 20-25, and people who didn’t get married at that age were possible that they never could get married, but now everything changed. Ashima remembers me my mother when I was 29 years old, and I still single. My mother and siblings were worry about that because they were married at the age of 24.  However, I didn’t feel concerned with that fact that I was single because I had my boyfriend, but the married for me was not important. My wedding day was the happiest moment for me and especially for my mother.

Chapter 7 and personal response

In the chapter 7 from the novel” The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri the author argues that Ashima made the Christmas cards by herself because she was along due that Ashoke was in Ohio, but he came home regularly to see her wife. One day, Ashima was in home when Ashoke called her and told that he was in the hospital for a stomachache, and he promised to call after he left the hospital. Ashima was waiting for his husband calling, but he didn’t call. Consequently, Ashime called to the hospital where the doctor told that her husband suffered a heart attack and died. Gogol went to recognize his father body, and he spend few days put all his father things in order. When he came to Massachusetts spend long time with her mother and Sonia, the first days they never were alone because their parent’s friends visited them. On the eleventh day The Ganguli invited their friends to mark the end of the mourning period, and that day Maxine visited Gogol and invited him to go to her home in the lake, but he refused. Sonia decided to come back home to spend time and help her mother. In January, Gogol was traveling to New York, and in the train he was remembering the many times that his father brought them in cold Sundays to the sea, and once they drove to Cape Cod where he and his father walked to the furthest edge of the breakwater.

Personal response

In chapter 7 from the novel "The Namesake"  Gogol is at home with his family celebrating the end of the mourning period, and Maxine comes to Gogol’s house and invites him to New Hampshire to celebrate holidays, but Gogol doesn’t accept because he wants to help his mother to pass this bad time. I think that Maxine doesn’t understand the bad moment that Gogol living; also, she didn’t know Gogol’s traditions, which are very important for him in this moment. Because he is remembering many things that he shares with his father, and now his mother is alone and need his support. I think that one should keep his tradition because that persevere family values.

Chapter 6 and personal response

In the chapter 6 from the novel” The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri the author argues that Gogol was graduated from architecture program as Columbia, and he started to work  in New York. One day, one of his coworkers invited him to a party where He met Maxine; then, the next morning Maxine invited him for dinner in her glamorous house where she lives with her parents. Gogol has a nice time with her parents, Gerald and Lydia Ratliff. Consequently, Gogol began date Maxine, expended all his time with her and got all customs from Maxine. Gogol didn’t say anything about his relationship with Maxine to his parents and always has an excuse when asked why he didn’t come home. However, in summer his parents should travel to Ohio for a research, so his mother asked him to come home to great his father before he stated his trip. In that moment, Gogol told to his mother that he didn’t come home because he took a vacation with his girlfriend.  When they are traveling to New Hampshire, they stopped off in his home for lunch, but he told Maxine that they wouldn’t to touch or kiss in from his family. In New Hampshire Gogol celebrated his 27^th birthday with Maxine family and friends, but he didn’t know anyone in his party.

 

 

Personal Response

In chapter 6 from "The Namesake" Gogol doesn’t want to come to Massachusetts, so he chooses study architecture at Columbia because he wants to live in a place that his parents don’t know and has new experiences away from his parents. He doesn’t like to come home or assists at Bengali parties; he prefers New York along and independent. I think that Nikhil has the necessity to live away from his parents because he doesn’t feel controlled for them, so he wants to live with freedom. I lived the same experience that Nikhil when I was 23 years old. I decided to live away from my family and lived my own experiences although my family was open mind very different to Nikhil family I did that. The first year was amazing experience because I lived in a new country, I live alone and did everything that I wanted without ask for permission anyone; however, that experience helped me to change my character and personality and appreciated more my family specially when I had problems and I didn’t have anyone near to me .

Chapter 5 Summary and Personal response

Chapter 5 summary

In the chapter 5 from the novel” The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri the author said that In 1986, Gogol had changed his name before left his home, and he pursued his ungraduated studies at Yale. In his first semester, he took five courses and the last one was drawing because he likes architecture, but he didn’t say anything about this course to his parents. When he was in his second year of studies, he met Ruth in the train going to visit home, and they continued their relation cheap until Ruth went to London and left alone Gogol. Also, Gogol attends a panel discussion, where the panelist talks about ABC’s (American-born confused deshis) . For him everything that was talking in this panel was very familiar, so he asked himself maybe he is an ABCD too. After that, in his senior year, he was traveling to his home to celebrated thanksgiving whit his father because his mother and Sonia were in India, but the train got delayed because one person committed suicide. Finally he arrived to the train station, where his father was waiting for him, this incident made that Ashoke told Gogol the real story about his name; Gogol finally knew the true about his name.

Personal Response

Gogol decides change his names because people don’t take him seriously and make fanny of him, it is not Bengali name, and he knows about the mental problems of Nikolai Gogol. Finally, Gogol changes his name and this made he felt more confident with himself.  For a teenager is hard tolerated that people make funny of his or her name, sometimes it can cause psychological problems for teenager. I like Gogol‘s decision because his name makes feel him sadly and hates it. I have an uncommon last name for my country Perú because my grandfather was born in Italy; for that, when I was in elementary and high school, I hated my last name because sometimes my classmates and my new teachers made funny of its. Many times, I said my mother that I wanted to change it, but in my country this was impossible to do ,Fortunately, everything changed in the University where my teachers and classmates ask me about the correctly pronunciation of it. Now I love my last name