Lahiri's The Namesake

I HATED THIS MOVIE. It was horrible. I couldn't take it seriously and the plot was so incredibly different from the book. 

1. “The Overcoat” and The Namesake are very similar in that they both show growth of their main characters. In “The Overcoat,” Akaky begins to come out of his shell when he purchases his new overcoat. However, he dies soon after his personal revelation. Gogol’s story is similar that he also grows up into a new person at the end of the story, but he does not die. Instead, it seems as if he is reborn to be the person he was meant to be. A name is like an overcoat because it’s a first impression of you. A name like “shaw-quie-nay-nay” does not seem very professional so employment might be more difficult, just like if you do not dress nicely for an important job interview. People are quick to judge, so if you have a bad first impression, it ca stick with you the rest of your life.

2. When Gogol was little, he loved it his name. He loved the fact that it was unique and special, and when his parents tried to give him a different school name he became confused and refused to use it. Once he starts to hit puberty though, he resents his odd name and the traditional Indian familial expectation that come with it. He thinks it is embarrassing and nonsensical, because everyone asks him if it is an Indian name when it’s actually Russian. Finally, when he turns 18 he changes his name to Nikil, so that’s what everyone who knows him by after he’s moved out and is on his own. When he gets recognized as Gogol, he is usually ashamed, especially because it’s only his family members who still call him that, people from his old life. Yet as he matures into an adult, he begins to accept his original name and love the culture he grew up in. So yes, he make peace with it and views it as a sign of his parents’ love for him.

3. Ashima moves to Boston as a young girl in her 20’s to be with her new husband. At first, she feels completely isolated and hates her new home. As time goes by and children are born, she begins to become more comfortable in America. Most of her closest family members in India die, so she begins to realize her family is in America, with her husband, son, daughter and other Bengalis. At the end of the story when she decides to live in India for six months of the year, it is the new home she’s made in America that she will miss the most.

4. All of Gogol’s relationship with women fail because of a difference in culture. While in college, he dated a girl named Ruth. They were madly in love, until she studied abroad in England for a semester. Then after the semester, she wanted to stay for a summer session and take more classes. When Gogol went to pick her up at the airport, he could sense the distance between them. She had changed after living in a different country for so long.

Then when he moved to New York City, he started to date Maxine. She lived at home with her parents, who were very wealthy and had a completely different family dynamic than Gogol’s family. Gogol slept over, went on family vacations with them and witnessed her parents showing affection toward each other many times, which his own parents never did. He dated Maxine at the time in his life when he wanted to run away from what he grew up. This changed when his father died because Gogol finally embraced his culture and appreciated his family. He and Maxine broke up not long after because she didn’t understand where he was coming from.

His last relationship in the book was with Moushumi, whom he married. She walked into his life at the perfect time, when he wanted to return to his roots and find comfort in similar culture. However the marriage didn’t last long because Moushumi became anxious. She felt like she was turning into her mother and started having an affair with an old flame. She also felt that Gogol was holding her back because she wished to return to France and be independent again. Again, culture separated Gogol from his partner.

5. A train, because it is always moving, signifies change. In the story, Ashoke’s life was changed after a train wreck, which is why he moved to America. Then when Gogol is in college, he returns home almost every weekend by train. The train keeps the family connected, but also symbolizes the change that happens to all the members in the family, but especially Gogol.

6. India does function as a ghost in the story. It is always a presence in the life of Gogol and his family, even though they are not actually there. But it seems like the story always goes back to India. India is where the Ganguilis came from, so naturally it carries great importance in the life and heritage. Though at first Gogol tries to escape the “ghost of India” in his life, he comes to love it. 

The Motorcycle Diaries

The Motorcycle Diaries was about the important road trip that Ernesto "Che" Guevera, a future radical revolutionary, would make that forever shaped his life. Joining him on his journey was Alberto, who was also pursuing a career in the medical field. Their trip would take them around the South America continent, and they wanted to be back before Alberto's birthday. Che was 22 when he started the journey on La Pondersoa, what they named the motorcycle. They visit a Leper Colony on the Amazon in Peru and Che really relates with the patients. He is the first person to actually touch them. The patients love him back. He also experiences a personal wonder when visiting Machu Pichu. 

This story is a great example of a bildungsroman because it is a coming of age novel. Another good example is The Namesake. It shows the growth of Che into the man he would become. It also has several characteristics of an identity plot which include: 

A narrative revolving around the question of how to define and understand their identity

Character must be member of a minority within a larger society

Character is at odds with minority group

Character is conflicted w/ difference from min and maj

Authenticity and origin are always at stake on the quest

Another event that was influential to Che was meeting the impoverished Chillean miners. They were communists and often harassed because of their political beliefs. Che really sympathized for this couple that was traveling out of necessity, not pleasure like he was. He gave them a $10 bill. He also saw the inhumane treatment that miners received (they weren't given water, etc).

Leslie Silko's "The Yellow Woman"

What happens to the narrator in "Yellow Woman"--is it reality, fantasy, or something else?

I think that the Narrator does exist in reality. Yes, she was taken by a mysterious man (Silva) in the wild who sexually excited her and she didn't want to return home to her normal family and husband. She was able to experience sexual freedom if only for a little bit of time. I don't think Silva was a ka'tsina, or spirit. I think the narrator just saw that as an excuse to explain her sudden desire. 

Who is the story of Yellow Woman about?--Silva, the narrator, the culture?  Explain

The story is about the Native American culture. "The Yellow Woman was included as a compilation of narratives in Silko's "Storytelling" mostly focused on themes centering around liberation of female sexuality. Those stories often included an encounter between a woman and a mysterious man who she would run off with. 

I also think that Silko wrote this with herself in mind as The Yellow Woman. Growing up in Laguna Pueblo culture, Silko felt separated from the majority.  Her family lived on the outskirts of the reservation, just like the narrator in the story. Silko was often excluded from sacred rituals and their societies.

A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

Garcia Marquez wrote this as part of a book of short stories, originally aimed towards children. Here are some of the characters from the story:

Old Man/Angel- fell to the Earth one day. Is very old and has crappy looking wings that don't work. Is held captive by Pelayo and Elisenda who make a ton of money off of him. It is never found out if he was actually an angel, as believed.

Pelayo- the husband; originally concerned but then exploits the angel

Elisenda- wife; comes up with idea to charge admission to see the old man in the coop. Is relieved when he "flies" out of her life

Father Gonzaga- doesn't believe the old man is an angel; sends word to higher religious authorities to check out the man

Neighbor woman- she "knows everything" about life and death; suggests the old man was an angel on his way to pick up Elisenda's sick child and take him to heaven

The spider girl- turned into a "spider" for sneaking out of the house one night; becomes carnival attraction and takes away the old man's attention.

Though there are many interpretations, I believe that Marquez wrote this simply as an entertaining children's story filled with magic-realism elements. He meant it to be a moral fable to teach children a lesson. A major theme was uniqueness. The old man with wings is NOTHING like the townspeople. He speaks a different language and has enormous wings growing out of him. He also just fell out of the sky one day, mysteriously. Instead of treating him with respect, the townspeople harass him for his uniqueness and see him as an object, an animal to exploit for the own well-being.
Marquez wants to teach the children reading the story to embrace people for being different, not condemn then. Marquez recognizes that not everyone is the same, and he wants to ensure children understand and love everyone.