The Namesake's Meaning of Life
The struggles that Gogol (the protagonist) goes through in trying to find his identity and on what spectrum of the Bengali and the American line does he lay. Gogol goes through a severe identity crises, that leads him to make decisions that make him neglect his family and try to create a new persona built around the new name Nikhil. Life is good and he almost feels a part of his girlfriend Maxine's family. "...Gogol sounds ludicrous to his ears, lacking dignity or gravity. What dismays him most is the irrelevance of it all (4.10)." This quote highlights Gogol's sentiments toward his name and reflects his struggle he has with it. But when his father passes, Gogol no longer neglects his true origins and makes his way toward embracing them. What we learn from the Namesake is that true happiness and fulfillment comes from knowing and accepting/embracing who you are. Gogol went to Yale and got a high paying job as an architect: it is obvious that he was successful in all his occupational endeavors, but still he is not truly happy. So because fulfillment in life comes from embracing and being happy with who you are, it is reasonable to infer that The Namesake's meaning of life is to be content with your identity.
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