Challenges Facing First and Second Generation Immigrants in Jhumpa Lahiri's "The Namesake" Essay by Top Papers

"The Namesake" is Jhumpa Lahiri's first novel and was published in 2003 by Houghton Mifflin. Lahiri, a Bengali writer who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for her short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies, presents a compelling theme in this novel centering around the challenges facing first and second generation immigrants in the United States. Through her theme, plot, and characterization, Lahiri emphasizes the importance of heritage, cultural traditions, and family, and enables her readers to experience the emotional and psychological trauma that ensues when immigrants feel they must choose between adapting to a new culture or clinging to the culture of the homeland they left behind.