Apples can fall VERY far from the tree

Hello, here comes yet another post about Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake. Gogol, the antagonist that I've mentioned in previous posts, grew up in a very traditional Bengali household. His parents were very partial to their Bengali customs and enforced Bengali social rules in their household. These rules were very strict, especially when compared to the usual restrictions put on American teenagers. And since Gogol grows up under these strict rules yet sees his American friends have more leeway, revolt grows within him. Being contained under his parents rules led to Gogol's explosion of rebellious independent acts; changing his name, having sexual relationships, and doing drugs. So now the real question is, was Gogol pushed to the point of rebellion by his parents' strict discipline? If so, is discipline then counterintuitive?

Stay Golden, Gogol

Hey all, today I'm talking about a important decision that many people face. In the book "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri, the main character is Indian but lives on the East Coast. He often faces many conflicts between the two cultures he knows; Indian culture, and the new unfamiliar American lifestyle. His parents disapprove and sometimes fear the American culture, encouraging him to do the same. However, Gogol(the main character)'s exposure to American culture has given him vastly different opinions from those of his parents. Although his father is well educated, a college professor, Gogol's education has led him to question and be ashamed of many parts of his ethnicity. For example, Gogol's greatest embarrassment is his name; for it is very ethnic and he is humiliated by it. He hates it so much that he decides to legally change his name. Throughout the story, Gogol comes across situations where his Indian side and American side come to a crossroads and he must choose which lifestyle he wants to live. As he grows older and starts making more decision on his own and without his parents' consent, he tends to choose the "american" way. Since his parents view the "american" way as a sinful way and Gogol idolizes it, they have many arguments. Which led me to think about the real question for Gogol; to stay true to his Indian roots or to adapt to the new environment and follow the American way of life. I believe it is simpler than that; I believe the only thing Gogol must stay true to is himself, without worrying about what Americans will think of his ethnic name or customs. Likewise, he should not be completely ruled by his parents' opinion on what is right, because Gogol is not living the same life as they are and should therefore not lead his own life the same way. Many people that come from another country or have an ethnic background face this same dilemma, and through seeing Gogol's struggle and the actions he makes, I firmly believe that being being honest to ones' self is important above all else, regardless of any society.

First Impressions

So in the book that I'm reading today called The Namesake by jhumpa lahiri, I came across the weirdest first encounter I have ever heard of. The narrator has a bunch of "suitors", potential husbands, over at her house one day and notices some shoes laying around. She tries the shoes on, and they fit. Obviously, when the owner of the shoes returned it must have been an awkward encounter; yet they ended up marrying so they must have been some pretty decent shoes. Reading this reminded me of some of my strange first encounters. I first met one of my close friends in the principal's office in 7th grade, where we were both getting detentions for something we didn't do. I explained this to the principal while making a joke and the guy to the side of me laughed; we went on to become best friends throughout middle school. Freshman year during football training camp, a fellow freshman was called up to read a contract. This freshman went on to pronounce the word "hereby"(hear-by) as hair-eh-bee. Of course, this sparked our friendship. I guess first impressions don't have to be good; they just need to leave any sort of impression, even if the impression involves bad memories.