What were the symbols used in the book"The Namesake"?

Answer 1

Here's one:

"Lahiri makes deft and consistent use of symbols through the book, especially trains as a metaphor for life and death."

and another:

"Gogol, it seems, believes that switching his name can erase the complications of his past. But Lahiri knows better. While the characters in the novel slowly learn to accept Gogol’s new name, Lahiri always refers to her main character as Gogol. And her stubborn insistence on calling Gogol by his original name symbolizes that a simple name change does not alter the fabric of a person. "

and another:

"Confronted for the first time with a box of Rice Krispies, Ashima garnishes it with peanuts and onions and spices: East meets West in a bowl of cereal, a delicious little symbol of both her adaptive instincts and of the struggles she will face balancing tradition and assimilation."

and this:

"The naming of the Gangulis' first-born provides the metaphorical backbone of the book. Pressured to pick a name before leaving the hospital — contrary to Bengali convention, which dictates the use of a familial "pet name" and later the adoption of an official "good name" — they settle on Gogol, an homage to Ashoke's favorite author.
In due course, Gogol (played from young adulthood on by Kal Penn) finds his name all too distinctive and opts instead for Nikhil (often conveniently Westernized as Nick). The tensions that bedevil the characters in "The Namesake" are textbook conflicts of melting-pot America. Gogol's two names are an unsubtle but potent symbol of his double identity. He's a typical American teen, ritually distancing himself from parental influence, but as with many second-generation immigrants, his youthful rebellion can spiral into the rejection of an entire way of life.

Answer 2

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri


The Namesake (2003) is the second book by author Jhumpa Lahiri. It was originally a novella published in The New Yorker and was later expanded to a full length novel. It explores many of the same emotional and cultural themes as her Pulitzer Prize-winning short story collection Interpreter of Maladies. Moving between events in Calcutta, Boston, and New York City, the novel examines the nuances involved with being caught between two conflicting cultures with their highly distinct religious, social, and ideological differences.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Namesake

http://sameerad.blogspot.com/2007/04/namesake-by-jhumpa-lahiri.html

Answer 3

Interpreter Of Maladies Symbols