Literary Criticism of The Namesake - 8108 Words

Gogols Namesake: Identity and Relationships in Jhumpa Lahiris The Namesake Author: Judith Caesar Allusions to Nikolai V. Gogol and his short story The Overcoat permeate Jhumpa Lahiris novel The Namesake, beginning with Gogols being the name the protagonist is called through most of the book. Yet few of the reviewers of the novel mentioned Nikolai Gogol at all in their discussions of the novel, except to describe the protagonist Gogols loathing of his name, or to quote without comment or explanation Dostoevskis famous line, We all came out of Gogols Overcoat. So far, no one has looked beyond the surfaces to examine the significance of the allusions to Gogol that are so much a part of the fabric of Lahiris novel. Without the†¦show more content†¦He becomes a new man, noticing women, for instance, when before he would forget where he was while crossing the street. As he is coming back from this uncharacteristic outing, his overcoat is stolen. When he reports the loss to a local dignitary (on his co-workers advice--no idea is his own), he is bullied and insulted for his temerity in approaching such an important person. Tellingly, the Very Important Person demands, Do you realize, sir, who you are talking to? (Gogol 263), as if he didnt know who he was himself, without its being reconfirmed by others fear of him. Exposed to the cold once again, the overcoatless Akaky then catches a fever and dies, but this is not the end of the story. Shortly after Akakys death, a living corpse who looks like Akaky begins haunting the same square in which Akaky was robbed, but this time as a stealer of overcoats rather than as a victim. One of this Akakys victims is the same Very Important Person who bu llied him, who had been mildly regretting his harshness, and who is now frightened into real repentance. The last we hear of Akaky and his ghost is when a policeman sees a burly man whom he takes to be the ghostly overcoat thief, accosts him, and finds instead a man who is clearly not Akaky, but may be the original thief who robbed him. Its a strange story, suggesting very non-American ideas about identity and the undesirability of having a fixed identity. The overcoat that Akaky buys atShow MoreRelatedHuck Finn Literary Criticism1498 Words   |  6 PagesIn Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain portrays his main character and the novel’s namesake, a deeply complex individual, even as a child. He has obvious abandonment issues and continues to struggle with finding his place in society. Huck starts by trying to fit in with Tom and a band of young boys, but eventually finds true companionship in a slave named Jim. Huck continues in his struggles as his moral beliefs conflict with the moral beliefs of the society of his time. 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