To Feel at Home

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how a large number of immigrants or their children have few or no ties left with their birthplace, but have yet to find a "home" in the true sense of the word, in America. The paper looks at Jhumpa Lahiri's first novel, "Namesake," that deals with this subject of alienation and uncertainty. "Namesake" is the story of Gogol's finding the meaning behind his name and a satisfying place in his two separate worlds of India and America. The paper depicts how it takes a lifetime for him to accept and appreciate that he is different. The paper shows how the novel reflects the search that people from many different cultures and backgrounds undergo when leaving their roots behind.

From the Paper:

"Although Gogol is born in Cambridge, Masschusetts, his parents, as those of Jhumpa Lahiri, had a feeling of exile despite the fact they left Calcutta on their own volition. Gogol's mother, Ashima, left behind all family, friends and support to come to America with her husband from a Bengali arranged marriage. Young and naive, she finds unique ways to keep her Indian ties--such as making Rice Krispie treats with red onions and chili peppers. Gogol's father, Ashoke Ganguli, is an MIT electrical engineering doctorate who came to the U.S. to make a better life, but still retains much of the Bengali traditions."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Jhumpa Lahiri interview. About Hinduism. 18 February 2006. http://hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/extra/bl-jhumpainterview.htm
• Labi, Aisha. "The Runaway Bride: Caught between cultures, the children of immigrants often face stark choices between traditional and modern values. Usually, a fragile balance is achieved. But in the most wrenching cases, the scales can tip wildly, and sometimes violently. In this special report, TIME explores two issues--forced marriage and female circumcision--that are among the most divisive and controversial of Europe's cultural fissures." Time Magazine. (2003) 161.17, 38.
• Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
• Slonim-Nevo, Vered, et. al. "Ethnicity versus migration: two hypotheses about psychosocial adjustment of immigrant adolescents." International Journal of Social Psychiatry. (2006) 52.1, 41-54.

More papers on To Feel at Home:

• Term Paper # 92216 : "Stay-At-Home Dads"
• Essay # 67748 : "Home-Schooling"
• Research Paper # 146818 : "Muslim Women - Coming to America"

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