Asian American Culture
In the beginning of the school year, I defined an Asian American as American that participates in Asian culture. As I read “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri, I always questioned Gogol’s identity. Even though he’s the son of first generation Americans that come from Asia, he often tries to run away from his heritage . So, would Gogol be considered Asian American?
During his adulthood, from his breakups to the death of his father, Gogol matures mentally. He begins to regret resenting his trip to Calcutta and changing his name. This foreshadows that Gogol will be more appreciative of his parents’ decisions and backgrounds, showing small signs of Gogol being Asian American. Gogol begins to embrace his Indian culture when he doesn 't get irked when
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For example, when he goes to Calcutta for eight months and he’s relieved when he leaves. When I went to China, I was in a similar situation to Gogol: I went to foreign cities to explore, had many relatives in China is accompany us, and couldn’t adjust to China’s climate. My trip was much shorter than eight months but I was ready to stay in China if I didn’t have school or work to do back in America. I identify as Asian American so is this difference between Gogol and I enough to determine if he could classify as Asian American? Moreover, could his Asian American status ever be justified after he felt free when he was alone with Maxine in New Hampshire? It’s well known that being in close contacts with your family is a crucial part of Asian American culture. Therefore, the fact that Gogol feels the most relaxed when he’s not in contacts with his parents, shows how much he has strayed from Asian American culture.
Comparing the instances when Gogol embraces his heritage with the instances that he doesn’t, it 's hard to conclude if one outweighs another in determining his “Asian-Americanness”. Additionally, do the similarities and difference between Gogol and myself have any part in determining his identity? Trying to answer these questions to Gogol’s identity would only lead to more questions so I think it 's fair to say that, for now, Gogol’s identity is still an open question that may never be
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