Summary
Gogol finally turns fourteen years old. Both Ashoke and Ashima decides to throw a big party with Indian friends and American friends. The party is supposed to be fun, but it isn't fun for him because half of the kids that is invited he really doesn't know them. The presents he really wasn't happy about them either. Later when the party is over Ashoke comes in the room and he gives him a present. Gogol is kind of shocked because he never gives him a present without Ashima helping him pick it out. It was a book about Nikolai Gogol. Gogol still doesn't understands why his father would name him that, even though he knows that his father loves his writing and his work he still doesn't understand. Later on they tell the kids that they are going to be in Calcutta for eight months. Then later they return back and Gogol starts his junior year of high school in September. While he is at this party he meets a girl name Kim. He was a ashamed to tell her his real name so instead of saying Gogol he tells her Nikhil. He ends up kissing her and on his way back he tells his friends what happened. When he turns eighteen he decides to change his name. His parents didn't understand why he would want to but they can't tell him no. He moves into the dorms of Yale and he is known as Nikhil at college. When he changes his name he is now called Nikhil Ganguli. He has a girl name Ruth and the parents want to meet her. When they see his girlfriend they are kind of shocked because they feel as he should be with a Bengali girl because its the tradition, but he doesn't care. They feel as it will result in a divorce and it wouldn't last. The father and him has a talk about why he named him the name he has. Gogol is shocked and he was kind of understanding why is father name him the way he did. Now he feels kind of bad for changing it. Later on he meets a girl name Maxine and he ends up meeting her parents. Gogol parents still doesn't approve.
Quote
The quote I decided to pick was " By the following evening he was no longer fully conscious, and so wasted that his spine could be felt through his stomach (Lahiri 92)." As I was reading this, this quote made me read it over and over again. It was coming from the book that Gogol has to read in class and when his teacher said this , he didn't like it. He wanted her to stop, but he didn't want to say anything because he didn't want it to seem like he is the outcast in the class.
Reaction
So far its just getting better and better. To me I feel as right now sooner or later Gogol will understand the history and the background of who he is and why he was named that. He doesn't know who he is and he is trying to be someone that he is not and his family sees it but he doesn't. That is why it gets more interesting because you see the rights and the wrongs within the family and within Gogol himself. It is understandable to want to be American, but you have to realize who you really are.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The Namesake (1-71)
Summary
The book The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri is an excellent book. There was a young man name Ashoke and he is on the train and he hears a sudden noise that sounds like a bomb. It hit the tracks and killed many people in their sleep. Him being in the seventh cart, his cart also flipped over. He could here the people asking if there is anyone alive. Ashoke tried, but to talk was just a gasp and he was hurt so much he couldn't move. The good thing is, is that he managed to move just enough so they can see him and they took him to the hospital. As years went by he got better. Then he goes to India and there is a tradition there where when your a girl our parents chose who you have to marry. A girl name Ashima was giving off to Ashoke and he would take her back to Boston and they would start a life there. At first Ashima was not used to the cold weather and being alone in the house by herself. A little later on she get pregnant. While she is in the bathroom she started having these pain and then Ashoke took her to the hospital. They told her she wasn't ready yet to have the baby, so they kept her in the hospital. Finally she has the baby. The doctors ask them what the name of their baby boy and Ashima refuses to name the baby until she gets a letter from her family. For them to go back to India they need a passport for the baby so they just decide to name him Gogol Ganguli. As they go back home Ashima is basically rasing Gogol on her own and she can't take it. She tells him she can't raise him alone and be by herself all the time. On the phone with her sister and her brother she was wondering why they called her when neither of her parents is home. He sister couldn't tell her that their father past away from a heart attack so Ashoke ends up telling her. She didn't want to go because she was so sad and didn't know how to handle it. Later on after Ashoke finishes his studies at MIT he is offer a professorship outside of Boston, so the family decides to move. In August Gogol turned five and later Ahsima finds out that she is pregnant again. It is time for Gogol to go to kindergarten and he doesn't want to. The name they call him is Nakhil because that is what Ahsoke wants them to call him. In May that is when there second child is born and it is a girl this time. To advoid what they went through with Gogol and school they decided to name her Sonali. But her American name is Sonia.
Quote
The quote i decided to pick was "Like a kiss or caress in a Hindi movie, a husband's name is something intimate and therefore unspoken, clearly patched over (Lahiri 2)." This quote stood out to me as I was reading. This quote reflected off of when Ashima was in pain and she knows her husband name but she chooses not to say it because she doesn't want to. So she says somthing else to get his attention.
Reaction
So far I am liking the book. By reading it you learn about many different things. Since this book is very culture you kind of get a background on how they do different things in India. The movie is different then the book. The book have mnay details and it is precise. Even though I saw the movie I can't wait to read more because I want to see how different it is compared to the movie.I wouldn't mind reading more of his readings.
The book The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri is an excellent book. There was a young man name Ashoke and he is on the train and he hears a sudden noise that sounds like a bomb. It hit the tracks and killed many people in their sleep. Him being in the seventh cart, his cart also flipped over. He could here the people asking if there is anyone alive. Ashoke tried, but to talk was just a gasp and he was hurt so much he couldn't move. The good thing is, is that he managed to move just enough so they can see him and they took him to the hospital. As years went by he got better. Then he goes to India and there is a tradition there where when your a girl our parents chose who you have to marry. A girl name Ashima was giving off to Ashoke and he would take her back to Boston and they would start a life there. At first Ashima was not used to the cold weather and being alone in the house by herself. A little later on she get pregnant. While she is in the bathroom she started having these pain and then Ashoke took her to the hospital. They told her she wasn't ready yet to have the baby, so they kept her in the hospital. Finally she has the baby. The doctors ask them what the name of their baby boy and Ashima refuses to name the baby until she gets a letter from her family. For them to go back to India they need a passport for the baby so they just decide to name him Gogol Ganguli. As they go back home Ashima is basically rasing Gogol on her own and she can't take it. She tells him she can't raise him alone and be by herself all the time. On the phone with her sister and her brother she was wondering why they called her when neither of her parents is home. He sister couldn't tell her that their father past away from a heart attack so Ashoke ends up telling her. She didn't want to go because she was so sad and didn't know how to handle it. Later on after Ashoke finishes his studies at MIT he is offer a professorship outside of Boston, so the family decides to move. In August Gogol turned five and later Ahsima finds out that she is pregnant again. It is time for Gogol to go to kindergarten and he doesn't want to. The name they call him is Nakhil because that is what Ahsoke wants them to call him. In May that is when there second child is born and it is a girl this time. To advoid what they went through with Gogol and school they decided to name her Sonali. But her American name is Sonia.
Quote
The quote i decided to pick was "Like a kiss or caress in a Hindi movie, a husband's name is something intimate and therefore unspoken, clearly patched over (Lahiri 2)." This quote stood out to me as I was reading. This quote reflected off of when Ashima was in pain and she knows her husband name but she chooses not to say it because she doesn't want to. So she says somthing else to get his attention.
Reaction
So far I am liking the book. By reading it you learn about many different things. Since this book is very culture you kind of get a background on how they do different things in India. The movie is different then the book. The book have mnay details and it is precise. Even though I saw the movie I can't wait to read more because I want to see how different it is compared to the movie.I wouldn't mind reading more of his readings.
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