Abstract

This paper investigates the identity crisis and the situation of Indian diasporic community living in the United States as portrayed in The Namesake (2003) by Pulitzer Prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri. In the backdrop, this study also examines the striking similarities between Gogol Ganguly, the protagonist of the novel, and Akaky Akakievich, the protagonist of the short story The Overcoat (1842) by Russian author Nikolai Gogol. From an initial observation on the plot, it is clear that the naming of Gogol Ganguly, otherwise called Nikhil, becomes a mess which eventually creates a divided sense of identity in the character. He simultaneously becomes an Indian, a Russian, and an American or none of these. He belongs to everywhere and nowhere. Thus, his sense of belonging becomes ambivalent, and we see that he subscribes to none of his apparent identities fully. Hence, Jhumpa Lahiri’s use of different identities for Gogol functions as an overcoat for his dominant Indian identity, which neither gives him sense or sensibility like the protagonist of the mentioned short story. Overall, this paper tries to study the identity crisis and diasporic condition of the Indian people in the US from a critical postcolonial perspective.