400 to 800 Reaction papers on a movie and 1 full page SINGLE SPACE note on book
Ronaldo777
THENAMESAKEFEEDBACK.docxRunning Head: THE NAMESAKE 1
THE NAMESAKE 4
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The Namesake is a 2006 drama film written by Sooni Taraporevala based on the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. This movie illustrates the difficulties faced by Ashoka, Ashima, and Ganguli who had migrated from the East India state of West Bengal to the USA together with their children; Gogol and Sonia. This movie begins as Ashoka and Ashima leave their birth area and start living in New York City. Their son’s name Golgol becomes his official name something that shapes many things in his life. The film narrates Golgol’s intercultural involvements and his exploitations of India culture as the storyline jiggles among the US and India.
In the film, the theme of the interrelationship among parents and their siblings is evident. The relationship between Ashoke and Ashima with their parents is mentioned, Ashoka's father and the mother die of cancer while Ashima's mother dies of kidney disease. Thy finds the death of their parents through the telephone. Also, the theme of the parent-child relationship is introduced where Maushumi's parents find her Bengali suitors since they believed she should be married by a fellow tribe man.
In the film, there is also a theme of name and identity, as the movie starts, Ashima doesn’t use the name of his husband to call him since according to the Bengali culture, and they consider their husband's name so intimate. When Golgol stars kindergarten, he is reluctant to be called Nikhil at school as his parents suggest, he is afraid of a name he doesn't know. The language barrier is also a theme which is evident when Ashima and Ashoke arrive for the hospital for Golgol's birth Ashima tells his husband I will be back in the Bengali language, the language that the nurses could not understand. Also, a language barrier arises as Sonia and Gogol grow up to a point that Ashima and Ashoke take them for Bengali language tuition.
The theme of alienation is also evident, Ashima is shown as being afraid of raising her child in a strange land. Gogol's mother is also hesitant in raising him in America. Ashima also lives alone at a house in Pemberton road. Gogol also seams alienated from Moushumi, at a time he gets remnants of her life with Graham, he wonders whether he represents a defeat. The theme of the United States vs India is also evident, the pressure between the state of the United States and India is evident in the character of Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones lives alone at his home, according to Ganguli culture this act is humiliating. Also in the film, we can see Gogol with two celebrations, an American one and a Bengali one.
The theme of tension between life and death is also evident in the film, Ashoke is not comfortable telling his son about his near death since he feels Gogol will not be able to handle it. We can also see Ashoke struggling with his father's death. Finally, in the course of the novel, characters bring out the theme of nostalgia. Golgol feels nostalgia when his mom and wife goes to bid him goodbye at the train station. In Golgol's marriage he feels nostalgia, he wishes to stay with Moushumi in bed for hours. They also spend a whole afternoon designing their dream house. Additionally, Ashima feels nostalgia as she prepares for her last Christmas party at Pemberton Road. She remembers how Golgol and her sister used to help her cook when they were young.
In my view, the movie depicts some of the issues discussed in the book "Asia culture and Traditions". The movie is based on cultural identity throughout. It outlines the cultural aspects of Indian communities as elaborated in the book. Both Ashoke and Ashima in the movie seem to be custodians of Bengali tradition. They are reluctant to follow the United States traditions since they believe they should not leave their own Indian traditions and follow others. When Golgol decides to marry, his parents insist he should find a girl from their culture. This is illustrated in the book the Asian culture where the writer talks about Indian traditions. In the movie we also see Golgol performing some rituals concerning his father, this issue is also highlighted in the book. In conclusion, I feel that the movie "The Namesake" is somehow based on the book "Asian culture and Traditions". This is because some of the themes in the movie are explained by the writer in the book.
