Italy Reads 2013 The Namesake Discussion Topics

           

 

Identity:

 

1.      Would Gogol's life have been different if his name had not been Gogol?

2.      How important is the name that a child is given and what does it determine?

3.      At the end of the novel, how would Gogol define himself? (As an Indian or American, as Gogol or Nikhil?)

4.      The first theme is the subject of identity, and struggling to discover who you are, and who you are meant to become. Many of the characters struggle with identity because of the differences between American culture and Bengali culture.

5.      The second theme is the subject of being an outsider, and feeling like you don't belong somewhere. Within this theme we could discuss the difficulties of trying to "fit in." This theme flows nicely with the theme of identity.

6.      How does the death of Ashoke affect Gogol’s identity?

7.      Gogol changes his name to help him find a new sense of identity. Would you change your name now if you could? What do you think is contained in one's name? Do you think it was worth it for Gogol to change his name?

8.      Sonia has a much easier time accepting her identity as an Indian-American than Gogol. Why do you think this is? Do you think it has to do with the fact that she is the second sibling?

9.      Gogol has a strong dislike of the name he is given. How much does your name define your identity?

10.  Do Ashoke and Ashima also undergo identity problems, as their son does?

11.  How does one's name tie into one's identity? Does one's first name matter as much as one's surname? Should one always accept their namesake?

12.  Do you think that Gogol's decision to change his name to Nikhil was the right one and why?

13.  Why does Gogol struggle accepting his name and understanding his Indian-American identity?

14.  How does Gogol use his public name and his pet name? How does he try to remake his identity and what was the outcome? Do you have any nicknames? Do you ever wish for a new name?

15.  Gogol's struggle with his name is reflected in the book title: The Namesake. Even as a child, Gogol creates his own cultural identity through refusing to adapt to the tradition of having a public name and a private pet name. How does Gogol adapt his cultural identity to create his own identity? Why are names important and how does our name affect us and shape who we are? Does a pet name put us more at ease and in a level of comfort as opposed to a public name?

16.  Do you think that Gogol would have the same identity issues if he had received his Bengali name from his grandmother, instead of being named after a Russian author?

17.  Is there anyone in the book who doesn’t struggle with their identity?

18.  The final choice second generations tend to make after coming to terms with who they are, the final choice being whether or not to identify oneself with their original cultures, or their new one, or both, and how that is balanced throughout one's life.

 

Immigration and Alienation:

 

1.      Compare and contrast Gogol, Moushumi, and Sonia's attitude to growing up as first-generation American citizens.

2.      Discuss Ashima’s feeling of alienation in the United States. Is it a feeling she will ever be able to escape?

3.      Discuss the theme of alienation in the novel, particularly for the characters of Ashima and Gogol.

4.      How does Ashima try and adapt her home in Cambridge to remind her of what she has left behind in Calcutta?

5.      What hardships do Ashoke and Ashima encounter while adapting to the American lifestyle?

6.      In what ways does Lahiri illustrate the differences between the USA and India?

7.      Indian culture in America, in the interview with NPR, Jhumpa Lahiri had stated that growing up in America in the 1970's was hard for her because of the lack of knowledge by Americans of her Indian culture.

8.      Familial immigration struggles.

9.      Growing up bilingual.

10.  Were any of you born in another country and then moved to Italy or have you lived in another country? What difficulties did you have adapting to a different culture?

11.  The struggle of assimilation versus keeping a strong identity when one moves to a new place.

 

 

 

Heritage and Tradition:

 

1.      Can one 'escape' their past or heritage?

2.      Self fulfilling prophecies

3.      Indian traditions are a very important part of Gogol's family. Are there any traditions that are very important to you and your family?

4.      How would Gogol's life had been different if he was more accepting of his heritage?

5.      Indian traditions are a very important part of Gogol's family. Are there any traditions that are very important to you and your family?

6.      Gogol's family has many Indian traditions that embarrass him. Are there traditions in your family that make you feel uncomfortable or embarrassed?

7.      Discuss the different meanings of "home" for the characters of Ashima and Ashoke, Gogol, and Moushumi.

 

 

 

Family and Relationships:

 

1.      The importance of a parent and child relationship.

2.      A theme is rebellion, since many times in the story characters chose to rebel from their parents, or from what their parents expected.

3.      A theme in the novel is family: Gogol and Sonia have a very different sense of family than Ashoke and Ashima do, and it influences their decision on how to spend their adult life.

4.      How does Gogol’s relationship with his parents develop throughout the novel? How do certain events in his life spark a change in attitude toward them?

5.      Why do you think Gogol's father waited so long to tell him about the train accident? Why does Ashoke wait to tell Gogol the story of his name and about his past?

6.      Ashoke is influenced by both people (his grandfather, Ghosh) and books. Where do you find your influence in life?

7.      Have you ever been away from your family for an extended period of time as Gogol and Sonia eventually are? Did you find it freeing or did it make you feel helpless?

8.      Gogol's whole life changes when his father dies. How could his life have been different if Ashoke had lived further into Gogol's adulthood?

9.      What are the differences between Gogol and Sonia?

10.  Why do you think that Ashoke named his son Gogol?

11.  What were the main differences in the relationships between Gogol and his parents and Maxine and her parents? Does this directly relate to the differences between the American and Bengali culture?

12.  What is Gogol's relationship with his father like? How is there relationship important to Goglo's identity?

13.  Describe how Gogol's relationship changes with his family throughout the story.

14.  How does the loss of Gogol's father turn him back toward his family? How does it change Sonia and Ashima's relationship as well?

15.  Discuss the importance of family in the novel and the importance of family in your house and culture and compare it to the novel.

16.  Why did Ashoke bless Gogol’s decision to change his name?

17.  What do we see in the relationship between parents and their children? Language, social, or generational barriers?

18.  How is Sonia's minor role important to the story? How does her life develop in parallel to her brother's?

19.  The importance we give to family as children and as parents to our personal life decisions.

20.  How does socioeconomic status affect the lives of the Bengali characters, specifically Gogol and Moushumi.  Gogol witnesses Maxine's life first hand, while Moushumi envies Astrid and Donald and reminisces of what she could have had with Graham. How does socioeconomic status affect your lives in Italy?

 

 

 

Love and Marriage:

 

1.      Another theme is love/marriage. There are many different kinds of loves presented in the novel, from Ashoke and Ashima's arranged marriage, to Gogol's many loves, then Sonia's happy love.

2.      Infidelity.

3.      What is the significance of the different women in Gogol’s life? What lessons does he take from his relationships with each of them?

4.      What do Gogol's experiences with women represent for his character? What do the women in Gogol's life represent to him?

5.      Comparing and contrasting the romance of Gogol and Maxine versus Gogol and Moushumi.  Who was he better off with? What did he learn from both relationships? Would Gogol have been better off with an arranged marriage, like Ashoke and Ashima?

6.      Do you think that Gogol and Moushumi's marriage was doomed from the start and why? Was Moushumi's affair understandable or unforgivable?

7.      How do the various characters culture and views affect their choices made in romantic relationships?

8.      When Gogol's father dies, his relationship with Maxine ends really quickly. Why do you think that their relationship couldn't survive his grief?

9.      What are your opinions on an arranged marriage, such as Ashoke and Ashima, versus a marriage develop like Gogol and Moushumi, or Sonia and Ben?

10.  Was Maxine's immediate marriage expected? Was Moushumi's infidelity expected?

11.  The story begans with Ashoke and Ashima's arranged marriage. What do you think of arranged marriages? Do you think Gogol would have done better with an arranged marriage?

 

 

 

Language and Culture:

 

1.      Acculturation/deculturation.

2.      Assimilation - mixing two cultures into one. The theme of different cultures interacting.

3.      Cultural Norms.

4.      How does the language/culture barrier affect the Gangulis? In what ways do they overcome it?

5.      Ashima makes herself an Indian dish while she is pregnant to try and make her feel less homesick. Do you have a comfort food you like to make/eat? What else do you do to comfort yourself?

6.      Americanization - how does it affect Americans, how does it affect those living in other countries?

7.      Why is cultural identity so important? Why do the characters feel like they need to choose one culture or another, not both?

8.      Besides Gogol, which character struggled the most with his or her cultural identity?

9.      Why does Gogol struggle accepting his name and understanding his Indian-American identity?

10.  What ideas did this book give you about life and culture in America?

11.  Do we need to experience other cultures? Why?

12.  Besides Gogol, which character struggled the most with his or her cultural identity?

13.  Growing up in a different culture can affect how an individual develops their cultural and personal identity. Gogol struggled with his identity while Sonia effortlessly had two different cultural identities. I would further get the class involved in the discussion by asking the class to give different examples as to how they identify themselves culturally and personally and how these identity perspectives change depending on individuals and how they differ from different countries.

14.  Food is a very big part of the book. Is there any food that you like to cook? Or a food that you love that you tried to make yourself and it just wasn't the same?

 

Plot, Style and Characterization:

 

1.      Although there are several times in the story when Gogol seems content, he rarely seems truly happy. At what point in the novel do you think Gogol is happiest? If you were in his shoes, when would you have been happiest?

2.      Jhumpa Lahiri leaves the story of Gogol's life unresolved. How do you imagine he continued forward in life?

3.      What is this story ultimately about?

4.      Why does the novel conclude with Gogol reading his namesake's book?

5.      Do you think that Gogol's decision to change his name to Nikhil was the right one and why?

6.      What are some factors that cause the major characters to become unhappy with their own reality because it is not living up to their expectations?

7.      How does one's background (social, educational, etc.) contribute to how the characters live their life?

8.      What do you think Gogol wants most from his life? How is it different than what his family wants for him, when they first came to America? Has there ever been a strain in your family like this? Do you want something different for your children than what your parents wanted from you?

9.      What effect did the novel have on you as a reader?  Did the book make you feel any specific emotions or did you linger and think about a specific topic the novel discussed or mentioned?

10.  What characters did you relate most to and why? Did any of the characters make you feel any specific emotion?  Did any of characters make you rethink previous opinions on any specific topic mentioned in the novel?

11.  What significant changes are there in the novel? (Gogol's name change, Ashima's move, Ashoke's accident) How are they related and are there similar themes?

12.  Why is Gogol so restless and, sometimes, unhappy? What is the main source of discontent for Gogol? What is the plot's conflict?

13.  Is there more significance to Nikolai Gogol other than the main character's name?

14.  How would you feel and what would you do if you were Gogol?

15.  The descriptions of the characters are very detailed and you see a lot how they emotionally change throughout the story. Did you feel very connected to one character? Did you see yourself in any characters in the book?