Contextualizing Love, Marriage, and Family in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The

Namesake
This work examines the intricacies of love, marriage, and family among the Indian diaspora
in America in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake. The cultural disparities, sibling dynamics,
parent-child relationships, tension of marriage, profession and the ties that bind families
together despite their differences are explored in this work. It deftly weaves together the key
aspects of the complexity of love, marriage, and family within the context of immigration and
provides a poignant analysis of identity, a sense of belonging, and the basic human need for
comprehension and connection.
Born in London and raised in the United States, Jhumpa Lahiri is a second-generation
diaspora. Her parents came from a Bengali family. Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel The Namesake was
published in 2003. This novel was influenced by her own experiences as a diaspora. The
Namesake is replete with Jhumpa Lahiri's introspective thoughts, which she derived from her
own upbringing as the daughter of Bengali immigrants. Reflecting on her cultural history,
familial dynamics, and the experience of being an immigrant, Lahiri delves into a number of
facets of her own life and identity through the characters and topics in the book.
However, she too experienced great pressure to be proficient in the new world and devoted to
the old, like many immigrant children do.
Being neither one thing nor the other was a sentiment that she could easily relate to in immigr
ant children.
She felt homeless and unable to fit in while growing up because of her connections to all thre
e nations-India, London, and America. Lahiri's depiction of the Ganguli family reflects her
own thoughts on family dynamics. Lahiri reflects on her own family's immigration
experience and how it influenced her own identity and worldview as she examines issues of
nostalgia, longing, and adaptability via the characters of Ashoke and Ashima through themes
of love, family and marriage. Similar to the lead character Gogol Ganguli in The Namesake,
Lahiri was raised in an American home but had Indian ancestry. The difficulties Gogol faces
navigating his cultural expectations, his identity, and his name are similar to those of Lahiri.
Jhumpa Lahari's novel The Namesake chronicles the return trip of young Ashoke Ganguli, an
Indian exchange student from the United States, to Calcutta in 1977 in search of marriage.
Little Ashima slips her bare feet into the man's Western shoes and becomes captivated, even
though she has little to say about her match (which is prearranged). The Gangulis settle down
in Yonkers, New York, where Ashima has to give up her history and learn how to become an
American housewife, while Ashoke pursues a fellowship and a job. The rest of their story
revolves around their two kids, Gogol (the son, named after his father's favourite author) and
Sonia, the girl. The Namesake then turns into Gogol's narrative over whether he should fully
embrace his surroundings—dating a wealthy white girl, for example—or integrate aspects of
his parents' culture—using his Indian name rather than the awkward Gogol in social
situations. In Indian culture, love frequently entails a great deal of respect, devotion, and
commitment. It's viewed as an enduring link that reaches into families and communities in
addition to being a feeling shared by people. Love is frequently characterized by virtues like
selflessness, fidelity, and emotional ties. It is also frequently shown through providing care,
support, and understanding.
The family is seen as the fundamental unit. In addition to parents and kids, extended family
members like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are usually included. There is a great
sense of obligation and responsibility towards one's family members, and family bonds are
highly prized. Indian families frequently offer their members instruction, financial support,
and emotional support throughout their lives. In India, a marriage is typically viewed as a
union between two families as well as two people. Tradition, society, and religious beliefs all
have a strong hold on this holy bond. Families have a big say in matching, and marriages are
frequently arranged, especially in more conventional contexts. But there's also a growing
trend of love marriages, in which people pick their spouses based on compatibility and
fondness for one another. While divorce rates are still lower than in Western civilizations,
attitudes against divorce are changing in urban areas. In many societies, marriage is viewed
as a lifetime commitment. The Indian environment is redefining the definition of love,
marriage, and family these days, and nucleated families are replacing joint families. Indian
civilization is built on the interwoven pillars of love, family, and marriage, which represent
ideals of harmony, fidelity, and strong emotional ties that go beyond interpersonal
interactions. The concepts of love, marriage, and family are explored in the following ways in
the paragraphs below.
Love
Through navigating the difficulties of cross-cultural relationships, The Namesake delves into
the subtleties of love in both Gogol's personal relationships and the Ganguli family. Children
[Gogol and Sonia] and parents [Ashoke and Ashima] had different definitions of love
depending on their generation. There should only be one partner for Ashima and Ashoke’s
entire existence for them to be in love. While Gogol finds it difficult to establish a consistent
love throughout the novel. Ashima and Ashoke shared a profound love for one another
despite their arranged marriage. For Ashima, love is a courteous and hidden emotion at all
times. She never addresses her husband by name, preferring to use the questioning expression
“ Are you listening to me” instead. She can’t picture herself holding her husband’s hand in
public or kissing him like in Hindi movies since she always views love as a private matter.
Gogol also observes that he has never witnessed his parents showing each other any physical
affection in his entire life. Any love that may exist between them is completely personal and
unrecognized. Ashoke attended to all of Ashima’s little concerns. He knew the small details
about Ashima that could cause her problems. Ashoke showed Ashima his love through deeds
rather than words. After they moved abroad, he consoles her. Ashima received support from
Ashoke when her father passed away. The Ganguli family exhibits a noticeable display of
Familial love. The children and their Indian family are very dear to Ashoke and Ashima.
Gogol adores his folks. He was incredibly devoted to his sister Sonia. He couldn’t wait for
her to grow up so that he could play with her. He looks after and stays in contact with her
when she grows older. Sonia adores her brother. She used to make cards on his birthdays.
During festivals and household chores, Sonia used to assist her mother. This was her means
of expressing love for the family.
Gogol used love as a further tool for rebelling against his history and attempting to forge his
own identity; the women he finds himself drawn to throughout the book reflect his feelings a
bout it. He believes that love must be found on one’s own while Ashoke and Ashima see love
more as a responsibility and a companionship. Throughout the entire novel, Gogol dated
three girls- Ruth, Maxine and Moushumi. Gogol's love affairs, such as his union with
Moushumi, reveal his quest for a companion who accepts and understands his true selves.
Gogol didn’t tell his parents about his relationships. He was also aware of Sonia’s boyfriend.
For their parents, letting their kids date or fall in love was never natural. For them, American
marriage and partnerships don’t survive very long. Gogol’s parent who had never been in a
relationship, were afraid he would wind up alone. Love was an inexplicable and unhappy
concept for Gogol. The first woman he took home as a girlfriend was Maxine. Gogol felt that
his parents will never be as confident in their relationship as Maxine's parents, Gerald and
Lydia, are. Gogol has perpetual trouble with his name. Love meant something different to
Gogol and his parents in this sense.
Marriage
For both parents and children, the idea of marriage meant something distinct. Ashoke and
Ashima saw marriage as a continuation of the traditional Indian path in life, one that leads to
friendship and the creation of a family, rather than an exercise in independence or identity
formation. According to Indian belief, Ashoke and Ashima considered marriage a holy
connection. They had an arranged marriage. They want their first child, Gogol to concentrate
more on his studies because they have never gone on a date and they don’t see any need to
support him, especially at his age. Throughout the novel, Gogol has strong, powerful, and
openly sexual relationships with three different women—aside from and then, briefly, within
a marriage, Moushumi's discontent with the marriage finally turns into adultery, and the two
file for divorce. They are more in need of independence than they are of allegiance or
dedication to a family identity.
The Ganguli family had never experienced a divorce; marriage was something that was
expected to last a lifetime. Ruth, Gogol's initial lover, and her parents' marriage ended in
divorce. Ruth's father lives with her stepmother, while her mother stays alone. Americans
were not able to normalize arranged marriage. Maxine was shocked to learn that Ashima
wears a sari and bindi every day even though she lives overseas and that Gogol's parents were
Bengali, had an arranged marriage, and prepared Indian food every day. Following the
breakdown of his past relationships, Gogol eventually meets Moushumi. The two go on dates
and eventually get married, but their union ends in divorce. Sonia and Ben’s relationship
culminates in marriage.
Family
In India, Ashima and Ashoke grew up in a joint family. In India, where entire families live in
the same house for generations, are very involved in each other's lives, and strengthen their
bonds through a variety of customs and rituals, Ashoke and Ashima owe their understanding
of what a family life is all about. They felt a strong bond with their families and were
committed to upholding the customs of their forefathers. The family structure has changed as
a result of the relocation from India to Massachusetts. In India, the Ganguli family was once a
joint, but they have now become nucleated.
Despite Ashoke and Ashima's separation from their real family in India, their extended
Bengali immigrant community in America contributes to the preservation of these customs by
attending Indian holidays with the proper pomp and circumstance and making the best Indian
food possible with the ingredients at hand. However, for Gogol and Sonia, who are raised
outside of India, family starts to represent elements that are alien to their everyday existence
in America and detach their identity from what they are being taught at school and by
American culture. Because they are growing up in a culture that considers these customs as
foreign, the children of the Bengali community perceive the customs and rituals as
meaningless ceremonies. Upon receiving approval for a fellowship abroad, Ashoke's family
found it impossible to contemplate life without him. Three days passed as his mother went
without food and his siblings begged and cried. The Ganguli family maintained their
ancestral customs, such as the grandmother naming the kid, even after moving abroad. The
Bengali people had the view that a kid should be named after their grandmother. Ashima and
Ashoke wait for the letter from the grandma when Gogol is born. Ashima was troubled by the
prospect that her children would never get to meet their grandmother and would never
experience what it's like to have a grandmother.
Pet names are widespread in Indian families; Ashoke's pet name is Mithu, and Ashima's is
Monu. Gogol believed that a family should be flawless and whole. He sketches an image of
his new sibling, parents, and himself standing in a row in front of their home when he was a
child.
Ashima's husband Ashoke was the only person who could help her birth her children, Gogol
and Sonia, alone in America. Ashima missed her family and imagined that if she were to go
to India, her entire family would be there to support her during her pregnancy and childbirth.
Ashima would often cry by herself, longing for her family, and read letters she had received
from India. In America, Ashoke and Ashima were only able to have a sense of family through
their daily interactions with friends and college friends. Ashoke and Ashima want the Bengali
customs imparted to them by their parents to be passed down to their children- Gogol and
Sonia. Tension frequently arises from the younger generation's inability to reconcile their two
identities with the expectations of the family placed on Gogol and his sister to maintain their
legacy.
Ganguli longs for the Indian traditions they once celebrated. They provide gifts for their
relatives when they visit them in India. Having been born and raised in America, Gogol and
Sonia found their Indian family to be unfamiliar. The children miss their separate rooms in
their American home, which they missed when the Gangulis moved to India for a few months
during the summer vacations. The bed in Gogol's separate room had a built-in drawer,
something the Bengali house did not have. Gogol and Sonia were acquainted with the
members of their Indian relatives, but they did not feel a strong bond with them. Even though
Ashima was living abroad, she could not give up Bengali food. All of her recipes included
thick channa dal with bloated brown raisins, lamb curry with an abundance of potatoes,
buchis, and pine apple chutneys. Like the majority of their Bengali acquaintances, the
Ganguli family expects Gogol to become, at the very least, a doctor, lawyer, or economist. If
not an engineer. His father tells him again and again that these are the fields that brought
them to America and have given them respect and stability. After Ashoke passed away,
Ashima began to feel alone. She believes that her family is no longer whole. Gogol also
doesn't frequently see his mother. He moved in with his girlfriend’s home. The way Gogol's
and his girlfriends' families operated was different. Ruth's parents' marriage ended in divorce,
and Gogol went on to date her. Gogol is uninspired by his own childhood and finds it hard to
comprehend coming from such parents and such a background. It was not customary for the
Ganguli family to be divorced. In Gogol's family, it was never customary to bring a lover
home, unlike his fiancée, whose parents were fine with it. Going on a vacation with his
girlfriend is not acceptable in the eyes of his parents. When guests would come over for
dinner at Gogol's house, his mother would serve them with her hands until their bellies were
full, but Gogol couldn't feel the same at his girlfriend's house. Gogol felt that these families
did not care about each other in the same way that Gogol's family did, such as calling the
children to check on their safety. Gogol and Sonia are never inclined to go to their Bengali
events. On his father's passing, Gogol experienced death rites for the first time. The Ganguli
family was bound together by love, respect, and caring despite their numerous differences.

In terms of love, family, and marriage, Lahiri appears to be in favour of striking a balance
between these three urges. The Namesake never fails to provoke deep conversations on the
difficulties and victories of negotiating marriage, family, and love in an increasingly
interconnected world. With its profound view into the universal human experience, The
Namesake appeals to readers from a wide range of backgrounds.
References
Guha, Rajdeep. Family Relationships in Jhumpa Lahiri’s the Namesake and Kiran Desai’s the
Inheritance of Loss. Diss. University of Otago, 2013.
Lahiri, Jhumpa. The namesake. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2004.
“Love and Marriage Theme in the Namesake | LitCharts.” LitCharts,
www.litcharts.com/lit/the-namesake/themes/love-and-marriage.
Macwan, Hiral. "Struggle for Identity and Diaspora in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake."
International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention 3.12 (2014): 45-49.
“The Namesake (Novel).” Wikipedia, 23 Jan. 2024,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Namesake_(novel).