The Namesake (Part 7)

Ashoke and Ashima allow Gogol and Sonia to celebrate American holidays. They don't want their children to feel left out. They do make sure that they do not disconnect with their Indian heritage. Gogol and Sonia eat American food, they prefer to eat American food. Gogol attends Bengali language school in the third grade. Most of the students including Gogol wish they were at other practices such as ballet and softball. Gogol has to miss every other saturday class of art. He loves attending art class and the materials are bigger and better than the materials for the Bengali language class. In the Bengali language class they read from paper that looks like the toilet paper in the bathroom at his school. Lahiri presents the time that Gogol started to notice the oddness of his name. He starts to notice parts of his name in signs and his dad tells him the reason he was named Gogol. Ashoke doesn't tell Gogol the whole reason for his name. Gogol knows that teachers are not able to pronounce his name so he answers before they can say it. His last name, Ganguli, is common in India than his first name is and recognizes that his name is different from everyone in America and India.

Quote: "For when Ashima and Ashoke close their eyes it never fails to unsettle them, that their children sound just like Americans..."

Question: Will Gogol and Sonia embrace their Indian culture when they get older?