Discussion Questions
- The Namesake explores things we inherit from our parents, including our names: their meaning, why we have them, who gave them to us. What are the similarities and differences in naming practices in Bengali and American cultures? Other cultures?
- How do Gogol’s “good” public name and private pet name color the way he views his world, how he defines himself, and how he shapes his life? Why is it important for him to accept his name?
- In what ways are Ganguli family members forced to separate themselves from their homeland? How does Gogol, over the years, try to separate himself from his parents and their heritage?
- Ashima compares being a foreigner to a perpetual pregnancy where one feels out of sorts and elicits curiosity from strangers: “It is an ongoing responsibility; a parenthesis in what had once been ordinary life, only to discover that the previous life has vanished, replaced by something more complicated and demanding.” (Page 49*) What do you think of Ashima’s view of being a foreigner?
- On page 78*, Gogol’s father quotes Dostoyevsky by saying “We all came out of Gogol’s overcoat.” What did Dostoyevsky mean, and why does Ashoke quote him?
- How does the inscription in Gogol’s book from his father, “The man who gave you his name from the man who gave you your name,” reflect one of the book’s main themes?
- In what ways does the train wreck Ashoke Ganguli experiences in early adulthood influence his life? How does this situation work as a metaphor in the story?
- There are many vivid food scenes throughout The Namesake, beginning with a scene of Ashima combining Rice Krispies, peanuts, and red onion in a bowl to approximate an Indian snack she craves. Later, Gogol has his first solid food in a rice ceremony (annaprasan). In what ways do the descriptions of food and its preparation enhance the story and our understanding of characters?
- Think about Gogol’s relationships with the women in his life: Ashima, Sonia, Maxine, and Moushumi. How does each relationship reflect the changes in him as he becomes a young man?
- Lahiri wrote The Namesake in present tense. How does this choice shape the story and the reader’s relationship to it?
*Refers to 2003 Mariner Book paperback edition.
Discussion questions provided by the Washington Center for the Book at The Seattle Public Library.