In Response ...

As I am the last person to post, I guess I’ll respond to all of your posts. All of you have really compelling things to say, and I’m glad we have this medium of sharing our thoughts and getting to know more about each other (even if it’s required).

Dao, I think you chose a really good topic for The Namesake. Coming from the perspective of American culture, it was really strange to read about the lack of outward displays of affection between Ashima and Ashoke. I am an extremely affectionate person to all my friends and family. To not express my love and care for others in that way would somehow alter my relationships towards them I feel. However, these displays of affection can be attributed to the Western culture. Just because Ashima and Ashoke do not show their love for each other in the American fashion does not mean that love is not present in their relationship. As for Gogol and his failed relationships, I believe that it is because he has not truly found his identity that he is unable to have a successful relationship. He begins to depend on these women for happiness, seeking to find himself in them. I never thought about the significance of Moushimi coming from the past. It could be that he felt closer to finding himself through Moushimi rather than in her. Thus, because she came from the past, he must look to the past in order to fully find his identity. I don’t know if that makes sense …

Thank you, Dao and Jenn, for sharing with us the stories of your families. While I personally have never experienced anything like your parents, I know that all of our families have struggled in the same way for us to be here right now. Whenever I complain about something, my parents tell me how much I don’t understand hardship, how there are so many worse things that could be happening. And I forget that this is true. It’s so hard to fall into this way of thinking, forgetting that there are so many people suffering every day. Stories like those of your families are like big slaps in the face to wake me up to my selfishness.

When I was reading The Gangster We Are All Looking For, I honestly didn’t get it. I was confused and annoyed that there was no structure to the book and that there were random metaphoric scenes. But, after finishing the book and doing my response, I realized that what Le had written was powerful. Extremely powerful. The novel’s conciseness and simplicity are added to the impact of what Le had to say and showed her skill as a writer. The characters in the book, despite their inability to properly communicate, were depicted as a true family. Yes, they did have their problems, but, in the end, they were all they had.

For my paper, I wrote about both The Namesake and The Gangster We are All Looking For. I found that there were some major themes that were similar in both novels. My paper focused on the importance of the main characters’ relationships with their fathers and how these affected their struggle for identity. My thesis states that, though they seek to run away from the shadow of their fathers, the protagonists must understand their fathers before they can truly understand themselves.

With much appreciation,

Laurie