Study Document
Cultural Identity in the Namesake Term Paper
Pages:6 (1629 words)
Sources:2
Subject:Other
Topic:Cultural Identity
Document Type:Term Paper
Document:#57669812
Even with the fact that he feels that he would honor his father by taking on an attitude that would make it possible for him to discover that his Bengali background plays an essential role in shaping his character, Gogol simply discovers that he is a more complex individual and that it would be impossible for him to only identify with one geographical location.
Anzia Yezierska's story "Children of Loneliness" is relatively similar to the Namesake when considering that it also deals with topics like alienation from one's family and the struggle to find one's personal identity. Rachel Ravinsky, the central character in the story, feels that it would only be natural for her to abandon principles instilled in her by her parents in order to be able to adopt more 'American' ideas. Both Rachel and Gogol have a tendency to regard ideas expressed by their parents as being limiting and out-dated.
It is probable that Rachel and Gogol feel that it would only be natural for them to blame their parents for their inability to feel 'at home'. They consider that even with the fact that they are both perfectly able to integrate the American society they will continue to be haunted by their background as their parents focus on performing activities that have nothing to do with them and that they cannot actually understand.
Conclusion
All things considered, it is very difficult for individuals who lived a large part of their lives in environments that had a tendency to instill a series of values that they did not necessarily identify with. Such people are probable to end up feeling that they belong to two very different cultures and that they do not actually have a cultural identity to respect at the same time.
Bibliography:
Yezierska, Anzia, "Children of loneliness: stories of immigrant life in America," (Funk & Wagnalls company, 1923)
Dir. Mira Nair, the Namesake. Fox Searchlight…
Sample Source(s) Used
Bibliography:
Yezierska, Anzia, "Children of loneliness: stories of immigrant life in America," (Funk & Wagnalls company, 1923)
Dir. Mira Nair, the Namesake. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2007
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