er associated with the individual. For instance, Ashoke is the name of an emperor that means ôhe who transcends griefö (Lahiri 26).
Lahiri illustrates in The Namesake that the process of naming both reveals and conceals identity. When born, Gogol was to be named by AshimaÆs grandmother, but when her letter is late Ashoke and Ashimi cannot take their newborn son home from the hospital without bestowing a name on him. Reaching into a significant moment of his past, when he was rescued from a deadly train wreck, Ashoke comes up with a pet name he finds perfect for his son, ôHe remembers the page crumpled tightly in his fingers, the sudden shock of the lanternÆs glare in his eyes. But for the first time he thinks of that moment not with terror, but with gratitude. æHello, Gogol,Æ he whispersö (Lahiri 28). Thus, naming his son, Ashoke lends to ôGogolö significant meaning from his past but also provides a Russian name to an American born Hindu. For GogolÆs pet name is an allusion to his fatherÆs near death in a deadly train accident, something that carries with it specific associations. These conflicting identities will eventually impact ôGogolö in a number of ways.
GogolÆs name is intended for use as a pet name or daknam, but because he is never called by the formal bhalonam intended for him, Nikhil, he suffers discomfort. GogolÆs parents try to provide him with his bhalonam when he begins his education. However, Gogol does not answer to ôNikhilö in school and school officials continue to know him officially by his pet name. By the time he enters college, Gogol is beginning to feel distanced from his parents and his ethnic background. It is not until he enters college that he learns what readers know much earlier, the origins of his pet name. Ashoke explains to Gogol he chose his pet name because of his fondness for the stories of the Russian writer Nikolai Gogol. However, he also says he has a fondness...