ASB 102 Film Essay

The Namesake
John Michael Sullivan
7/14/2015

Multiculturalism, the process through which new immigrants and their children enculturate
into the dominant national culture yet remain an ethnic culture, (Cultural Anthropology, Guest,
pages 253-254; 2014) is a huge factor in this move. The title of the movie reflects the struggle
that Gogol goes through to identify with his unusual name. The problem of Gogols name
symbolizes the problem of his identity. Gogols name is one of the chief causes that make him
feel different from others. Gogol'snamedoesn'ttiehimtoanyspecificculture,asystemof
knowledge,beliefs,patternsofbehavior,artifacts,andinstitutionsthatarecreated,learned,and
sharedbyagroupofpeople.(Cultural Anthropology, Guest, pages 35-36; 2014) Watchingthe
movieitmademethinktomyself,ifyoudon'tbelongtoaculture,whatisyourframeof
reference?Whodoyoulooktoforanexample?
In the need for approval, Gogol is concerned with his need for others to acknowledge his
favorable social attributes and honesty. Through this, Gogol tries to assimilate, the process
through which minorities accept the patterns and norms of the dominant culture, Cultural
Anthropology, Guest, pages 253; 2014) into the U.S. culture and abandon his ties with his
Bengali heritage. Gogols parents, Ashoke and Ashima, try to maintain ties with their home
country and try hard to instill in their children worship for the values of the home country. This is
a huge conflict as Gogol is more fascinated by his peer group and society of America and the
western world than the country of his birth. Throughout the movie Gogol tries to fit in with his
friends and only knows the ways of the busy city. He considers himself an American and is more

interested in what opportunities lie in wait. As he makes his way through life, he becomes more
and more distant from his heritage and culture.
Gogols unusual name and its meaning leads to him wanting to change his name before he heads
off to college at Yale. He informs his family that he wants to change his name to Nikhil (later
shortened to Nick) in hopes that he would be more accepted by his friends and by potential
employers. He gives an example to his parents by saying, Imagine what an employer might
think with the name Gogol Ganguli. This is also a perfect example of the mindset of Gogols
social identity and his fear of racialization, to categorize, differentiate, and attribute a particular
racial character to a person or a group of people, (Cultural Anthropology, Guest, pages 222-223;
2014) and institutional racism, patterns of racial inequality structured through key cultural
institutions, policies, and systems. (Cultural Anthropology, Guest, page 223; 2014)
Culturally, Gogol is cut off from his Bengali heritage and has no desire to learn about his
heritage until he takes a trip with his family to India. There in India, his eyes are opened to the
world and his parents country and undergoes a cultural relativism, an understanding of a
groups beliefs and practices within their own cultural context, without making judgments,
(Cultural Anthropology, Guest, page 44; 2014) and enculturation, a process of learning
culture, (Cultural Anthropology, Guest, page 36; 2014) about the Bengali culture and his
heritage.
In closing, I was really impressed with The Namesake. It really explores the change of the
characters and also gives a great reference to the change of immigrants into the American
Culture. Its important to have cultural relativism and intercultural competence, to be
understanding and respectful of other cultures and their practices, even if you dont agree with

them. When we become more of a respectful and unified country, it will be a far better place for
future generations.