The Namesake: An Exploration of Family Values and Alienation

Abstract

This article, The Namesake: An Exploration of Family Values and Alienation, aims to analyze how Ashima, an Indian woman, born and brought up with Indian family values finds herself alienated in American culture which is different from her own culture. She struggles very hard to instill Indian Bengali culture and family values in her children, Gogol and Sonali. In the first part of the novel, Gogol appears as an American lad who does not want to stick to the old customs and traditions of India. But in later part preponderance of Indian family values is seen in his character after the death of his father and his divorce from his wife, Moshumi.