A Double Vision in Jhumpa Lahiri's The Interpreter of ... - ijellh

Volume III, Issue V, July 2015 – ISSN 2321-7065

Refereed (Peer Reviewed) Journal www.ijellh.com 538

A Double Vision in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Interpreter of Maladies

and The Namesake

1. Mavidi Papinaidu

Asst. Prof. of English, Bs & H-Dept,

Aditya Institute of Technology And Management, Tekkali, Srikakulam,

A.P

2. Kasina Narsimhamurty

Asst. Prof. of English, Bs & H-Dept,

Aditya Institute of Technology And Management, Tekkali, Srikakulam,

A.P

India

ABSTRACT:

Double vision is another important theme in Lahiri‟s novels. It depicts cultural

conflicts and cultural dilemmas of first and second generation immigrants in the alien land.

Lahiri describes the themes with the characters very beautifully in all the novels. She

expresses the deep sense of fascination towards the attached culture such as strong family

relationships, gratitude to the arranged marriage system, life style, eating habits, passion for

mother tongue. At the same time she explicates the alien land language, livelihood, food

habits, individual life style, mismatched marriages and fragmented family system in her

literary works makes the Indian origin immigrants feel great confusion between two diverse

cultures, sometimes conflicts among multi cultures.

Key words: Cultural conflicts- cultural dilemma-fascination-immigrants-fragmented

family-multicultural- acculturation.



Jhumpa Lahiri‟s Pulitzer Prize winning short story collection The Interpreter of Maladies

is also the first master piece of cultural conflicts, cultural dilemmas, struggles in the

multicultural world and their troubles in the process of acculturation. With these Diaspora

themes, Lahiri has become world popular writer and she has got into the place of renowned

writers of English in the world. As a coin has two sides, she has got applaud from the western

part of the world and at the same time lot of criticism from the other part of the world. All her

literary master pieces seem to be over emphasis, beyond the realities, exaggeration of the

lives of Indian immigrants make her to be criticized by the eastern part of our world.

However she must be appreciated for her novelty in her writing and the close observation

of the lives of Indian immigrants in the alien land. She has sentimentally sketched the various

characters in her works. It is understandable for even an ordinary reader that Lahiri has strong

affection towards the Indian culture and customs. She takes the hidden conflicts of the

immigrants to limelight with her wonderful art of writing. She not only depicts the

autobiographical elements in her literary works but also interpretations of her keen

observation from the world outside in the alien land. In her Diaspora identity, Lahiri has

expressed her personal background and Indian lineage of her eastern origin. The nine stories

in her collection offer a wonderful variety of experiences gathered from the cultural clashes

rippling in many directions. Lahiri has attempted to present the trauma of the Indians and

successfully balances their native and acquired cultures in their home and foreign land. Lahiri

wears different hats of cultures, the Indian, the British and the American. Sometimes her

descriptions are with the Indian way of thinking and at the other she presents a wonderful

multi-cultured world with the forces of universalism, presenting the native traditions and

languages, she has internationalized her own culture. Of course in the diverse forces of the

world, she has hard time in selling multiculturalism. In the words of Bhagabat Nayak, “by

deconstructing the self of her tormented souls she has become a cultural broker and a cultural

breaker. (p-184)”

1.1 Cultural Conflicts

Especially in her debut short story collection The Interpreter of Maladies, Lahiri shows

her thoughts. There are nine stories in The Interpreter of Maladies. Of which except the last

two of all the characters in all the stories are the symbols of cultural conflicts and

multiculturalism. Take for instance, the first story temporary matter is an appropriate one to

explain the themes of cultural conflicts and the lives of immigrants in the alien land, how



they acculturate the host culture and their problems during the process of contra

acculturation. Shoba and Shukumar are newly married couple live in New England conflicts

in the bicultural society. They are unable to accustom the new culture. Even though they are

living in the alien land, they remind the mother culture. When Shoba is pregnant, she along

with her husband dreams of their baby, what name to be given, first feed by her brothers for

her kid which is a tradition of Indian culture.

Unfortunately, the baby has been dead in the hospital and all the dreams of these parents have

been unfulfilled besides it brings miserable situation in their lives. They are dreaming to do in

the alien culture which cannot be possible to do all the rituals related to our Hindu culture in

the alien multicultural society. But, as they are habituated the Indian culture, Indian

immigrants are not able to avoid the attachment with the culture of our mother land. At the

same time, innocently they are thinking about the traditions. It is not possible to retain the

mother culture in the multicultural society. That is why one hand Shoba and Shukumar

conflict between bi-cultures on the other hand unwillingly adopt the alien culture. They want

independent living so that even though they live in the same house, they never share anything

whole heartedly. They are sharing their physical pleasures only at night which is the culture

of alien land. As they are the immigrants of the alien land, they are unknowingly accept the

host culture by retaining the home land culture.

As an immigrant, one has to acculturate either to the alien culture so that they can enjoy the

fruits of multicultural society, or else they must be ready to conflict between the dual cultural

system in the lives of some characters, the same thing happened. In some other characters,

acculturation, contra acculturation are happened. What Jhumpa Lahiri wants to suggest here

is that it is always not so easy to reconcile the conflicting claims of two different mindsets

suffering from the strange disease of modern life; especially, when the only point of

reconciliation in the form of a baby is lost. It is not only the conflict between two cultures but

also the psychological conflicts in the characters.

Language is another symbolic expression of any culture. There is so much of pleasure in the

conversing in the mother tongue. Sometimes language which is spoken by the people shows

which country they are from and their traditions and attitudes. So, in the alien land, when an

immigrant meets another immigrant from the same country, really happy to converse the

language from which they get lot of contentment. In the second story from The Interpreter of

Maladies, Mr. Pirzada, who is professor in Dacca, has shifted to New England and often



visits the Bengali family from India. Even though he is from Bangladesh, his origin is India.

He is a Muslim but he loves to speak in Bengali with the Bengali couple.

1.2 Nostalgia

1.3 Another example in the same story shows how Indian immigrants have nostalgia

towards Indian culture. When Lilia asks to see the American history by her teacher, she

shows lot of interest in Asian history is another example how Indian immigrants are

contra acculturated in the multicultural society. In this story either Lilia or Mr. Pirzada

expects identity for their culture in the land of alien culture. In fact, it is rather difficult

for her to make any sense out of it:” It made no sense to me. Mr. Pirzada and my parents

spoke same language, laughed at the jokes, looks more or less the same. They ate pickled

mangoes with their meals, ate rice every night for supper with their hands. Like my

parents, Mrs. Pirzada took off his shoes before entering a room, chewed fennel seeds after

meals as a digestive, drank no alcohol, for dessert dipped austere biscuits into successive

cups of tea.(p-25).

According to Rashmi Guar,

“The portrayal of Mr. and Mrs. Das is a testimony to Lahiri‟s maturity in handling the craft of

fiction. Their alienation from their cultural roots and bondages to the conventions of a

different society is presented with a strong under- current of irony. Their external glamour is

contrasted with their inner claustrophobia and emptiness. This contrast, at times, becomes

comic and the pathos of that comedy arises from their inability to grasp, in broader or

profounder terms, what nit is which significantly constitutes freedom and happiness in life.

This contrast also conveys the gravity of the static, haunted loneliness which Mrs. Das had

endured half consciously” (p.14).

It is not at all the culture of having extra marital relationship. Especially Indian

woman is not expected to do so and it is great sin on the part of Indian women who imbibed

the culture right from their birth. Due to the influence of western culture, Indian immigrant

women also do the same which causes breaking of the marital relation as well as lead to

become the family system and bond between the members weak. This is what Lahiri clearly

showed in the title story of The Interpreter of Maladies. Mrs. Das lives in New Jersey with

her husband, Mr. Das is working as professor in the university. Mrs. Das is the perfect

example of acculturation. She has extra marital relationship with a Punjabi friend of her

husband. Her infatuation towards host culture is not a serious issue for the Americans, for the



Indian immigrants, a great conflict in the multicultural society. In this manner, the mental

trauma runs here on two levels-one in the personal relationship of Mr. and Mrs. Das and the

other, in the too brief emotional exchange between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das.“The self-

absorbed Mrs. Das stops polishing her nails and removes her sun glasses the moment she

hears Mr. Kapasi‟s part-time job as an Interpreter of Maladies. He explains the symptoms of

Gujarati patients to a local doctor who does not know the language. So far, none has taken his

profession seriously. His own wife looks down upon this job and when other woman asks

her, she tells them that he is the doctor‟s assistant. Mr. Das is too quite unimpressed by Mr.

Kapasi‟s profession; he rather likes his job of a guide since he himself has to bring his

students periodically to museum and explain things to them”. (p-53)

However, when she visits Orissa, she has met Mr. Kapasi, whose profession is an interpreter

at the doctor. It is also not the part of Bengali culture that being a Bengali woman, she never

share the family issues with the others. But in this story Mrs. Das reveals her mistake with an

unknown stranger Mrs. Kapasi which causes for the Kapasi‟s attraction towards her, not only

that she has said one of her offspring is born with her illegal contact with a Punjabi friend of

her husband. Of course, it shows that one hand she has realized, she wants remedy for her

mistake, on the other hand conflicts between the diverse cultures.

According to Indira Nityanandam, “in the alien land

with constant cultural collisions, caused by cultural transplants

and leading to cultural alienation, these protagonists find it

difficult to adjust to cope, and to come to terms with the reality

around them. Moreover, they are always mourning for the

homeland left behind. They need to adjust socially,

economically as well as culturally”. (p-35)

With the words of Indira Nityanandam, we can understand that in the process of their

transition state, immigrant Indian woman struggle a lot. One category of these easily

accustom to the new culture, the other category fails to adjust to the alien culture. The most

important thing in the Lahiri‟s short stories is that cultured Indian immigrants realize the

richness of their culture through the Native Americans. It is happened in the life Dev in

“Sexy”. He is an orthodox Bengali in America, having extra marital relationship with a

Native American girl Miranda in the absence of his wife by ignoring the values of his culture.

They enjoy physically. She is impressed with calling her sexy by Dev. As it is the nature of

woman, without thinking whether Dev is married or not she has relationship with him.



However, Miranda, at the end she has realized that it is not good on her part expecting

a married Indian man for her company where as Dev could not make out of it. Miranda has

an experience in her child hood days, whenever she visits an Indian family, observes all the

slippers left outside. She understands the rich culture of India so early. So she gradually

neglects Dev which causes rebuild the great relation between Dev and his wife Laxmi. In this

context, reverse acculturation is happened. As Dev infatuated to the strange American

culture, Miranda, an American by origin trying to understand the Indian culture, not only that

she has made Dev to realize what he has done is wrong.

Jhumpa Lahiri‟s stories are the impressive exploration of the human conditions as it

shapes and is shaped by the varying sexuality of the human personality and offer testimony to

her interest in creating an organic evolvement of both the content and the form. For example,‟

sexy‟ voices existential despair, more painful than the physical hardships in the emotional

trauma of separation. Her tragic lot lies in her willingness to fail as a beloved of a married

man. The story is a powerful rebuttal to the commonly held notion that youthful girls are

nasty familial home wreckers.

Mrs. Sen is the perfect example of his words. She is another Indian immigrant who

conflicts a lot in the multicultural society in the process of acculturation. She has made many

attempts to be part of alien culture, but she fails to achieve. Even though she is there in the

alien culture, she always looks back at her rooted culture behind her. Her husband is

professor of mathematics in the university and he is always busy with his work. Because of

miserable isolation, Mrs. Sen is not willing to accept her Americanism in every conversation

with her American friends, mentions about her inherited culture. She often says to Eliot that

every Bengali eats fish from the breakfast to dinner. Here she misses to eat Bengali fish curry

which is delicious. Food habits also indicate the culture of the people of different nations;

Mrs. Sen shows her strong fascination towards Indian dishes even in the alien land. When a

shopkeeper has called her availability of fish, she immediately has driven the car to collect,

but she met in an accident. This is an appropriate example for her contra acculturation.

1.4 Multiculturalism

Lahri‟s protagonists are the continental immigrants but they suffer from their cultural

introspection. They have their conflict of consciousness between two selves, the native and

acquired, the real self and the community to which they belong. She has presented her

experiences through the protagonists of how to live in a multicultural milieu. It is as vital as



preserving cultural distinction in the pluralistic society of America. Mrs. Sen is a story on

Bengali life, culture and habits. She presents Mrs. Sen‟s struggle to become an American in

her pan America situation, while she is not ready to leave her inherited Indianness in

America.

So, in Lahiri‟s literary master pieces not only contain the characters which easily

acculturate but also the characters which struggle a lot to imbibe the alien culture. Those who

strongly committed not to be rooted culturally, they retain the values of their religion and

region, those who takes the things for granted simply ignores the inherited customs and

traditions. However, Lahiri should be appreciated for the glorification of Indian culture by

her works.

The cultural conflict is also visible in another story The Blessed House in Lahiris The

Interpreter of Maladies. Sanjeev, an Indian by origin, Twinkle, an American got married and

they have shifted to Connecticut from Boston. They have new house where twinkle arranged

all the religious things like wooden cross, key chains of Jesus Christ, dolls and portraits in the

hall which is hated by Sanjeev who is basically an Indian Hindu. He wants to throw all these

out. The conflict between the couple in terms of religion is the cultural exploration of a

person. Sanjeev hates whatever twinkle likes due to the cultural gap between them.

The adjustment with foreign culture again surfaces in the third and final continent. The

narrator protagonist of his story leaves his home in 1964 for England where he lives with

penniless Bengali bachelors. His wife gets the first taste of cultural clash even before she

lands up in America. She does not take any meal from Calcutta to Boston because her

appetite is killed by the mere thought that she is offered oxtail soup on plane.

Themes in Lahiri‟s the name sake shows the great conflict between the Americanism

and Indianism. Main intention of the people migrating from India to North America is to

fetch joyful Americanism. But, it is not the idea of Jhumpa Lahiri because she was born in

London and brought up in New England for Indian origin mother. She experiences diverse

cultures. But, she has strong liking to Indian culture that is why in her all works, she prefers

to talk about Indianism because her mother has lived outside India for nearly thirty five years.

She has made her home in the United States. But there are invisible walls erected around her

home. So Lahiri is not interested to behave like American.

Sometimes she feels she is neither American nor Indian. Exile in her life stimulates her to

write about the struggles of the Indians in the alien land in terms of culture. She portrays the

characters Mrs. Das, Mr. Pirzada, Mrs. Sen, Shukumar and Shoba in her first short story



collection The Interpreter of Maladies. Ashima in her debut novel The Namesake is really apt

character resembles with the life of Lahiri. At the same time, Mirinda, an American girl in

The Interpreter of Maladies, Gogol, Sania, second generation Indian immigrants, Maxin, an

American girl are the other characters show us how these people conflict between diverse

cultures and sometimes among multi cultures.

Ashima got engaged with Ashoke. Both the pre wedding rituals and post wedding customs

have done according to the Indian Bengali Hindu religion. She is from an orthodox Bengali

family so that she must bound to accept the customs of the religion which is followed by her

parents. When Ashoke has come to see her, she hides herself behind the door, and she

secretly trying to see him which an Indian woman does. She has not looked Ashoke directly.

She could not even read his face and understand suitability of Ashoke for her marital life.

Everything has been decided by her parents only. Even if she wants to say anything, it is not

possible for her to do so. Her parents have accepted so that she did. It is an Indian woman‟s

exact culture. Whereas, her children Gogol, Sania who were born and brought up in America

completely ignore the traditional marriage rituals.

Gogol marries Bengali girl Moushami but earlier he has relationship with Ruth and Maxin

which has broken consecutively. Ashima has come to know that Sania has proposed to marry

Ben, she is really so sad about it, she conflicts between the two diverse cultures of marriage

system. In the west one can choose one‟s life partner where as in our country parents will

take care of their children‟s marriage. One hand she is happy because her daughter has

selected her life partner whom she has loved and believe she will be happy with him. On the

other hand without her knowledge she has maintained relationship with an American boy

before marriage is really not at all a part and parcel of our culture. One side she sees the

bright future on the other side devastating the ancestral culture makes her to conflict between

two divergent cultures.

Ben is neither an Indian nor Bengali that to both Sania and Ben proposed and loved

for some time really cannot be accepted by a traditional Indian middle aged woman. However

in great confusion and conflict, she has accepted to marry them. There is another incident

happened in her life in Boston, she became pregnant and she has given birth for baby boy in

the hospital. In fact as per Hindu culture, Indian parents where ever they are, they must

christen the baby on the day of cradling. This has not happened in Boston. In Indian the

pregnant lady should be taken to her parent‟s home to give birth to her first baby. Here, no



family members, no acquaintance only Ashoke stays outside her chamber in the hospital. She

really almost cried.

1.5 Cultural Dilemma

Ashima was sorry for her inability to christen her son which was chosen by her

grandparents. She strongly believes that they are visionary people to suggest suitable names

to the new born children. She has written letters to suggest suitable name to her son. She has

waited for a long time for the reply .But she has not got any reply form Indian. However, in

America, parents should give name to the baby before leaving the hospital where as in India

new babies can be given names on the day of cradling. It is really strange culture which

makes Ashima to conflict between two divergent cultures. However her baby finally

compelled to christen the name called „Gogol‟ who is the favorite Russian author of Ashoke

whom he strongly believes, he only has saved his life. Because of admiration, Ashoke feels

there is nothing wrong to give the name of great writer to his son.

Culture of naming a new born is a custom in Indian society. Lahiri narrates this

practice with bicultural implications. According to Indian tradition parents feel particularly

privileged when the child is given a name by the grandparents and elder members of the

family. But in America custom, a name is chosen at baptism or after the name of the family

ancestors. The culture of naming is important for the parents in every community and

religion. Parents become careful in search of a suitable name for the children which may

become symbolic of their action, appearance and beliefs. But in the novel The Namesake,

Ashima is in a great dilemma between the two cultures. One hand, she feels so sad about not

to name her son on the other hand compelled to name as per the rules of American culture.

According to Bhagabat Nayak: “Through cross cultural

references, Lahiri delineates with the cultural space available to

the nonresident Indians in America. Debating the ideology,

language and displacement of characters in The Namesake. She

raises the basic issues of cultural sensibility.” (p-35)

Sometimes, these cultural conflicts cause for the psychological problems of her

protagonists. She lives in Boston where her neighbors are Mr. Montgaomary with his wife

Jude and their children. As both the wife and husband busy with their works, ask Ashima to

take of their children when they come back from their school. Occasionally visit their home

also. But Ashima sees their culture, piles of clothes on here and there all the time in jeans and

tea shirts which are contrastive to the Bengali culture where she usually wears traditional sari



with vermillion on her forehead which gives the symbolic meaning of her husband‟s safety,

never utter her husband‟s name which is followed by all Bengali woman. She frustrates a lot

with the calling of American woman to their husbands with their names. She is unable to

acculturate in the alien land because of deep addiction to the Bengali culture.

In this context Lahri‟s idea of blind believes of the Bengali woman not to be

appreciated because in the alien land woman gradually acculturate the new by following the

home culture. She exaggerates the life style of Bengali woman in the alien shore. Especially,

in case of the first generation Bengali immigrants.

Jude, with her children has visited Ashima soon after coming back from the hospital

by giving birth to baby boy. They have offered toys and wine. They have celebrated by

drinking and eating where as Ashima and Ashoke pretend as if they are also having the

champagne. Infact they pour it outside. This is really strange culture to Ashima. Taking wine,

at any time, that to by woman is really an embarrassing situation to any Indian woman. Indian

woman feels uttering the husband‟s name is a great sin. So, they do not accept wine in

presence of their husbands. This kind of situations make the Indian immigrants contra

acculturation instead of accustom to the new cultures.

The concept of The Namesake indicates the conflict between the Americanism and

Indianism. The main intention of the people in the alien culture, this acculturation is really

joyful experience. But it is not the abstract of Lahiri. According to Lahiri‟s words:

“My mother has lived outside India for nearly thirty five

years, since 1969 they have made their homes in the United

States. But there were invisible walls erected around our home

walls intend to keep American influence at bay. Growing up, I

was astonished not to behave like an American, or worse to

think of myself as one.” (p.61)

Ashima, due to her strong attachment, often meets the people come from Bengal to

know about the people who has strong bond with them which is part and parcel of

magnificent Indian Bengali culture. She often invites the people of same origin even in the

alien land on different occasions, speaking in Bengali language which is injected in every cell

of her body to feel comfort. Preparing Indian dishes to eat. Every moment she tries to remind

the Indian culture in every action. But inviting the Native Americans also shows her interest

in the alien culture and its habituation.



In the words of Jyothi Mishra “the novel thereby subtly

encompasses the domestic dilemma resulting out of

dichotomies between Indian and American culture. One thread

that binds the novel is the name Gogol, which itself is an

accident caused by the collision between ancient Bengali

custom and the American rush into formality at the outset and

informality later on.” (p-27)

The Indian woman conflicts a lot compare to the man in the alien land with

inexplicable agony in the depth of their hearts. One hand, these women enjoy the feeling of

equality with the men in the American culture sobs a lot on the other hand, neglecting the rich

Indian Bengali culture. An evil of inequality pervaded in every nook and corner of this world.

In the name of culture Indian women lose an opportunity of enjoying the fruits of this world.

So, being an Indian immigrant, Ashima freely moves in the streets of America along with her

son with some sort of anxiety and fear in the beginning of her arrival. But, at the same time

her heart aches with the unintentional adaptation of American values and formalities.

In the Bengali tradition, after the birth of a baby, different kind of ceremonies to be

done by the Indian Bengali families right from the naming of the baby to death. According to

the culture of Bengali parents should not allow the baby to eat anything till the Annaprasana.

A day to be decided for Annaprasana with consultation of the priests is not happened in the

life of Gogol. In the land of diverse cultures makes the Indian immigrants in a dilemma what

to follow and what not to follow. If they want to do the ceremony they must have all the

relatives specially uncle and aunt of the baby. However, in great confusion ask the neighbors

of Ganguly family act as uncles and aunts to Gogol which brings so much of grief for a

traditional Bengali mother.

It breaks the strong cultural bond of family relationships

in the alien land. So search for artificial bonds which is the

culture of Americans habituated by the Indian immigrants.

There is no one to share their miseries and pleasures. Let us

understand clearly about the cultural dilemmas in the words of

Bani Brata Mahanta. “The second generation diaspora, in its

attempts to assimilate, suffers a dual vision. On the other hand,

they lose their cultural moorings and become outsiders within

their own home and foreign to relatives in their homeland, on



the other, they remain outsiders to the mainstream into which

they try so desperately to merge. Caught between two worlds

one unacceptable, the other accepting, they ultimately become

outsiders to themselves.” (p-68)

Culture suggests arts, language, traditions of certain countries. So that we can

understand the culture of a nation by the language they speak and attitude of people. This also

helps us to distinguish people of a nation to another country. Culture is the symbolic

expression of individual as well as a nation. Culture shows the different shades of a nation.

America is a multicultural country where everyone is to explore their own culture. Lahiri‟s

The Namesake depicts how Indian culture is glorified one hand and acculturation of new

culture, the first generation immigrant‟s great dilemma and conflicts in the multicultural

society.

Ashima in The Namesake imbibes American culture reluctantly. But her children are

compelled to imbibe Indian culture because the second generation immigrants are born and

brought up in the alien land. For them, Indian is a foreign land despite their Indian origin.

They are almost imitators of Native American culture in terms of their English language they

speak with American accent. Culturally they are Americans either by their dressing style,

attitudes. Eating habits are similar to the Native Americans. It is really a miserable situation

which feels the second generation immigrants in great dilemma. Whatever the satisfaction

they are getting with the Bengali culture is not for the second generation immigrants.

It is not only a great conflict between two cultures but also cultural struggle between

first and second generation immigrants. Gogol and Sania never accept the Indian Bengali

culture that is why they have affairs with their girlfriend and boyfriends. They secretly

maintain relationship with them and finally Sania got married against to the Indian Bengali

tradition. These children neither influenced nor motivated by their parents. Lives of Bengalis

in America, especially the first generation immigrants highly dissatisfied with the lack of

families accelerate cultural identity.

According to Banibrata Mahanta, “The novel is neither

a nostalgic reminiscence of India nor a celebration of acquired

cultural identity. It deals with the real life question of finding a

balance. The Namesake thus makes an important turn in the

depiction of diaspora consciousness.” (p-73)



After a long stay in the alien culture, hoping to come back to native land really

regains energy in the second generation immigrants not because of carrying the unwanted

culture to share with dear ones, it is to re attachment with the native culture. When Ashoke

has said to Ashima to fly away to Indian, we see a glowing face for the first in the face of

Ashima after long exile. It happens in any immigrants‟ life because of strong inclination

towards the native culture in the form of speaking in Bengali language with the most

affectionate aunts, uncles, grandparents, parents which is our culture. It is not the tradition of

Indian people living separately with in the house. No separate rooms for the individual. All

has to be there in the same house and to share their earnings not only that pleasures but also

pains. Whereas in America, separation among the people and individual life style which is

not suitable culture to the Indians. So that in the beginning of the exile of first generation

really astonished with the strange culture of American people later forced to imbibe for the

sake of their children later on great conflict among multicultural society during the process of

understanding and habituation of alien culture.

When the Ganguly‟s family flies back to India with their children, Ashoke orders only

two Indian meals, though there are four in number. It shows the great cultural gap between

the two generations. Second generation people show strong passion for American culture

where as first generation conflicts between an ancestral and adopted cultures. This strong

sense of commitment and inclination towards the native culture by the first generation

immigrants makes them to fall in great dilemma what to be avoided? and what to be adopted?

during their journey, Gogol has seated at the back and wants to have wine offered by the

steward in the plane. It shows how the alien culture has influenced them.

Ashima‟s frustration with the host culture is clearly visible for us when she got a call

from the hospital where her husband had been admitted in the Cleveland, as he had colic.

Later she came to know that he was dead with severe heart attack. No one is there with her to

console from the grief of losing her life partner. Nothing is there in this world is precious as

the life of husband for any Indian woman. So that she put the vermillion on her forehead.

Once husband died, there will be no custom of putting the vermillion. Indian Bengali woman

worships the goddess kali during Navaratras for the healthy life of her husband and prays to

the god let her husband to be given long life. This is what the culture of Indian woman.

But the American culture has no these kinds of rituals. American woman does not

follow these customs. Indian woman has to see her husband‟s face before the dead body is

taken for the cremation. And all the post rituals of death of a man should be done by the



family members. But in Lahiri‟s The Namesake, Ashima experience is really miserable. At

the time of Ashoke‟s death, Gogol only has gone to Cleveland; he has only seen the face of

his father, neither Ashima nor Sania. Hospital managements do not allow the dead bodies to

be taken away to their places for doing all the rituals. They said, “They will send the ashes to

the address.”Then Gogol has gone to Ashoke‟s apartment and informed to the university and

vacating his quarters.

Being a traditional Indian Bengali woman, she is expected to see her husband last

time. But it is not happened in the alien cultural world. Ofcourse, her family follows all the

post death rituals such as all these twelve days remain staying at home, not eating non-veg.

All the relatives visit them and convey their deep condolences to the family members. The

Indian culture shows here that Indian families not only gather together on the occasions of the

festivals to enjoy but also meet to take part in the miseries which is little bit contrastive to the

western mores.

Lahiri in her novel The Namesake introduced different characters. Cultural conflict is

not the issue for some characters such as Gogol, Sania and Moushami. She is the best

example of acculturation in the west land. She never feels the nostalgia about Indian culture.

That is why she has premarital relationships with many and later said about her illegitimacy

to Gogol after their marriage that leads to break their marital relationship. All these features

are the part and parcel of American culture where American people are habituated. Not only

this, Lahiri shows us some characters who lead their lives in great dilemma in the

multicultural society. A few other characters, due to the pressure from the first generation

parents try to acculturate but they utterly failed because of their strong infatuation towards the

western culture.

Multiculturalism is another important theme in Lahiri‟s works. After a long stay in the

alien land, long struggle between the dual cultures, gradually inculcate the new culture in

their lives. For the first generation immigrants culture of mother land is the heart and soul so

that they have nostalgia about it even in the foreign land. They try to retain the inherited

customs, traditions, and mores along with them in the exile. They never ignore them in their

lives. As long as they stay in the immigration, one hand they experience the culture of west

on the other hand giving utmost importance for the magnificent treasure of Indian culture.

Ashima waits for the Bengali voices in the land of English. She has been waiting to

hear either face to face or through letters. Language is the medium to share anything. Culture

of a particular person is also reflected in his language. So she is getting excited whenever she



converses with Bengali speaking people. Her English speaking does not bring the joy what

her mother tongue brings. When they come back to Calcutta, it is visible for us that there is a

lot of confidence, loud voices, smile that comes from the depth of her heart. (p-86) “within

minutes, before their eyes Ashoke and Ashima ship into bolder, less complicated versions of

themselves, their voices louder, their smiles wider” they are very much comfortable in their

own culture which makes them to be more potent and feel comfortable in their own cultural

world.

The Namesake reveals a clear distinction between rooted and uprooted cultures of

Indian immigrants. Indian immigrants feel having nothing where everything is available.

They lack something. It is lacking of cultural exposure. They miss valuable thing in their

lives which fetches everlasting pleasures. Culture indicates the nationality, personality,

attitude of mankind. So that right from the civilization, man has strong association with the

culture its implications in their lives. They decide how one should be in his life according to

the culture. He decides what to do?, what not to do? In one‟s life. Sometime culture teaches

good things and prevents not to go on to the wrong path. So that everything is happening in

one‟s life is happened according to the rich customs of a religion. For the family members

who remained in India, the life of their beloved one‟s in the foreign land is bed of roses. So,

they frequently ask interesting questions to Gogol and Sania about their eating habits,

costumes, friends in America. Infact, they do not know life in the alien land is nothing but a

sophisticated imprisonment. These people do not aware what their dear ones have lost. Life in

the alien land is a sugar coated pill. In the process of acquiring what they do not have, they

are losing what they have. Imbibing the host culture and neglecting the inherited. Habituate

the host culture does not bring any identity for the settlers in America. But blindly accustom

with it while imitating them.

Lahiri, in her Debut novel sketch the woman characters as the represents of the

cultures of different countries. Ashima is one among them. India is a unity in diversity

country. Indian people are separated geographically, not spiritually. They are living in

different regions with divergent cultures, languages, casts and races. They are the

representatives of the exploration of Indian ancestral culture wherever they are. In The

Namesake, Ashima plays such role as she conflicts in the multicultural society.

Women, especially in India are the symbol of belongingness, patience, purity and

perseverance including culture. Such a way Laihri has found the character and pictured in her

novels. Ashimain The Namesake resembles Ruma in The Unaccustomed Earth of Jhumpa



Lahiri. Ruma expects his father to be with her family after the death of his wife. Being a

traditional Indian woman hopes so. But her father wanders here and there and living

independently. He has also extra marital relationship in the alien land. However, both the

characters retain the culture of Joint family whereas another category of immigrants want to

enjoy the individual life. Ruma has agony with the fragmented family relationships and

deteriorating human values. The influence of western culture on the Indian immigrant‟s

culture is depicted by Lahiri in her novels impresses the readers in the world.

As Robin E.Field said in his article (writing the second

generation: negotiating cultural borderland in Jhumpa Lahiri‟s

Interpreter of Maladies and The Namesake) “Indeed it is the

second generation of an immigrant family that occupies a

particularly vexed position in regard to identity. the second

generation certainly has access to their cultural heritage if only

because of their physical proximity to parents and other

relatives during their childhood years.” (p-165)

With his words it is understood that not only the first generation immigrants struggle

between the dichotomy of cultures but also the second generation. Second generation

characters like Sania and Gogol have double vision in terms of cultures. Their parents wash

their brains to imbibe the parental culture at home. The external society requires them to

follow the host culture so as to enjoy the fruits of dream land. It is really a painful thing for

them to balance between the host and inherited cultures. However, as they are expected to

continue to live in the alien shore, they show much interest in the host culture rather than the

mother culture.

1.6 Conclusion

Many critics see the second generation characters in Lahiri‟s characters on the dark

side for their negligence of rich inherited culture. But it is certainly wrong to state. It is up to

the individual, what to be adopted, and what to be left? So Lahiri‟s The Namesake depicts the

theme of the combination of cultures. So that Ashima trains her children to sing Bengali

songs as well as watching cartoon channels in English to make them familiar with the host

culture. If a man wants to make out the strange issue, he must acquaint with that first that is

what is done by the second generation immigrants in terms of culture.



References

1. Field, Robin. “Writing the Second Generation: Negotiating Cultural Border Lands in

JhumpaLahiri‟sInterpreter of Maladiesand The Namesake. “South Asian Review 25.2

(2004): 165-177.

2. Gaur, Rashmi, “Nine Sketeches Interpreting Human Maladies: An Assessment of

JhumpaLahiri‟sstories.” Ed. BalaSuman.JhumpaLahiri‟s, The Master Storyteller. New

Delhi: Khoslapublishing house, 2014.

3. Lahiri,Jhumpa.The Interpreter of Maladies: stories of Bengal, Boston and beyond

New Delhi: Haper Collins India, 1999.

4. Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. New Delhi: Harper Collins, 2003.

5. Mahanta, Banibrata. “Of Coats, Names and Identities: JhumpaLahiri‟sThe

Namesake.” Dialogue 1.1 (June 2005): 68-76.

6. Mishra, Jyothi. “Crisis in Human Values as Reflected in JhumpaLahiri‟s, Interpreter

of Maladies. “The Common Wealth Review 10.2 (1998-1999): 117-121

7. Mishra, Jyothi. “Merging Identities: JhumpaLahiri‟sThe Namesake.”The Quest 19.1

(June 2005): 27-31.

8. Nayak, Bhaghat. “The Native and Acquired Selves of the Formulated Souls in the

Fictional World of JhumpaLahiri. Ed BalaSuman. JhumpaLahiri‟s, The Master

Storyteller. New Delhi: Khoslapublishing house, 2014.

9. NityaNandan, India, “Broken Identities: A Comparative Study of

BharatiMukharjee‟sDarkness and JhumpaLahiri‟s, Interpreter of Maladies. Ed.

BalaSuman: JhumpaLahiri‟sThe Master Storyteller. New Delhi: Khoslapublishing

house, 2014.

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