The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri Book Analysis

A name and identity heavily influence one's life and it makes them who they are. In this novel, The Namesake, several characters struggle to find one's identity while upholding their family traditions, but also fitting into the American Society. A character that has struggled with finding identity in this novel is Ashima. Which means, "she who transcends borders." Ashima is the wife of Ashoke, and the mother of Gogol and Sonia. She is a devote wife who immigrated to America with her husband to achieve his goals. In America, Ashima first experiences the responsibility of being a mother. When Ashima first comes to America she can follow her namesake, "transcending borders”, by moving to a new place shows that one's identity and feelings change as they experience the joys and hardships in life. 

The hardships of having a child in a foreign country can be lonely and extremely challenging. During Gogol’s rice ceremony in the beginning of the novel, Ashima thinks, “She can’t help wishing her own brother were here to feed him, her own parents to bless him with their hand on his head” (Lahiri 43). Even in a room full of people, it is possible to still feel alone. For Ashima, she knows that her family should be the ones to celebrate this event with her child. The hardest part about moving to a foreign country is being away from one’s family and losing the support that they provide. Family being absent during such an important event in her child’s life is disappointing, especially when her child will not be able to experience the love of those who are close to her. Furthermore, as the newly wedded couple settles into their new home, Ashima is left by herself while Ashoke goes to school, "On more than one occasion Ashoke has come home from the university to find her morose, in bed, rereading her parents' letters" (Lahiri 26). When knowing that one's life has made a drastic change, it is valid to miss their previous life. She is trying to make the adjustment not only for the good of herself, but also the good of her son and husband. The comforting words or advice of parents’ can be the reassurance that one needs when facing difficult obstacles. Giving up a comfortable lifestyle to grant her family and children with more opportunities takes a great deal of courage. At this point in the novel, she is not yet ready to “transcend borders” and is trying to cling to the place that she once called home.

Towards the end of the novel, Ashima is reflecting on how her life in America has progressed through the years as she is getting ready to move back to Calcutta, "She will miss the country in which she had grown to know and love her husband. Though his ashes have been scattered into the Ganguges, it is here, in this house and in this town, that he will continue to dwell in her mind" (Lahiri 297). She feels a deeper connection to her life in America. She remembers how she was able to navigate her way through this country while being a foreigner and the joys that resulted from it. Her relationship with Ashoke grew stronger and matured there on Pemberton Road. Ashima and Ashoke built a strong sense of respect and depended on one another as they faced this new country as a husband, wife, and parents. Likewise, Ashima recalls memories with her children and the friends she has made, “For thirty-three years she missed her life in India. Now she will miss her job at the library, the women she’s worked. She will miss throwing parties. She will miss living with her daughter” (Lahiri 296). Ashima’s new stage is quite bittersweet. She is now moving back to the place she desired when she was beginning to grow accustomed to the United States. She is once again leaving behind the friends and that she made there. Along with the quality time that she had spent with her daughter, occasional visits from her son, and the parties that she would host for the community she created. Even when she moves, it will not be the same as before. Her history in the US has become a part of her identity, and she does not regret her time here. She accepts the fact that she is not just Bengali anymore, but also somewhat American.

Throughout Ashima’s life in America, she experiences happiness and anguish with her family in America. The struggles of raising a child in a foreign country were stressful for Ashima. She left her family behind and entered motherhood not having any extra guidance or support. Ashima was homesick and often spent her time thinking about her loved ones back home. As the novel progresses, Ashima start to come to terms with how her life in the US came to be. She recalls heartwarming memories of her children and husband. She looks back without regret, but with joy on how she was proud of herself for overcoming a stressed past.