Identity in the Namesake

AS STATED IN MY PREVIOUS BLOG: According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, cultural appropriation is defined as the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture. I believe that this goes hand-in-hand with cultural misappropriation, in which a more dominant 'originating' culture is able to exploit an inferior culture basically by implementing a ©opyright on their traditions, fashion, symbols, language, religion, and cultural songs and claim that they are being used without their permission. That in itself is wrong because of the expected 'roles' of the less privileged groups, as if there are rules set in place for what they are allowed to wear, how they are supposed to act, what they are supposed to say, what jobs they are supposed to have, or where they are supposed to sit on the bus. I apologize for my rant, but I believe that it is necessary. I understand that Gogol was born and raised in America (dominant culture) but he has to decide for himself how much his Bengali heritage (inferior culture) means to him.
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I believe that the only way for people to fully find their identity is to open themselves to vulnerabilities by isolating themselves. *cough*ALIENATION...*cough* Gogol's acceptance of his Indian-American identity is reflected in his gradual acceptance of his name and its history. The name that your parents give you when you are born does not have to dictate how you are treated your entire life. Society should not treat people differently on the basis of the origins of their name especially exercising their freedom to change it to whatever they want to to leave their pet name in the past. Women should also not be expected to change their name for the sake of societal expectations/norms, as she is giving up a piece of her past and a major part of her identity.

"Not only does Gogol Ganguli have a pet name turned good name, but also a last name turned first name. And so it occurs to him that no one he knows in the world, in Russia or India or America or anywhere, shares his name. Not even the source of his namesake."(Chapter 4 Paragraph 26)

One of Gogol's biggest struggle was permanently solidifying his identity by leaving behind his pet name. This decision allows him to open a door to his past but also grow in the future. Gogol is able to become an individual and make decisions for himself, which isolates him to discover himself even farther. Gogol's attitude toward names then becomes even more radical than his parents, because he believes that there is "no such thing as a perfect name" but his parents stick with the Bengali custom of pet names until they decide on a formal name. Jhumpa implies in The Namesake that a name has something to do with who you are, which I mostly agree with. In no way does your name identify your destiny but it is the first thing that people learn about you and it is their initial impression and perception of you. Gogol's identity is closely tied to his name. By the end of the novel, the idea that there may be a time when none of his family members will be around to call him "Gogol" depresses him. I believe that Gogol likes that name a bit more than he initially realized simply because of who calls him that and how much those people mean to him.

"Moushumi has kept her last name. She doesn't adopt Ganguli, not even with a hyphen. Her own last name, Mazoomdar, is already a mouthful. With a hyphenated surname, she would no longer fit into a window of a business envelope." (Chapter 8 Paragraph 21)

In accordance to gender identity, it is really shown in the book with the case of Moushumi. Although the quote is self explanatory, the ability for women to obtain their own identity is hard when they get married and lose a part of their childhood. Moushumi is able to be resilient and connected to her roots by being stronger than traditions by keeping the last name she was born with.