Lauryn Hill once stated, “All humanity lives in a dream world, but suffers real consequences” (Medrut). In Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake, several characters struggle to find their identities, despite acting on impulse and showing minimal concern for the possible ramifications of their actions. Gogol and Moushumi's identities transform as the characters develop from simplistic, hidden children to opinionated individuals who establish their future beyond the judgment of others, despite the consequences that come with it. Gogol's developing identity begins to manifest itself when the actions of affiliated characters prompt a series of events that increase his preparedness to make policies for himself and initiate his intimate relationships, despite decidedly negative outcomes. Likewise, Moushumi's identity is revealed as she develops her own decisions, but is tested with numerous romantic outcomes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The constant dissent and dissimilarity that emerges between Gogol and surrounding individuals strongly fuels his commitment to making decisions for himself, despite the repercussions. First, when Gogol's name turns into Nikhil, he immediately feels satisfaction and relief, but not all is good, as he promptly discovers the meaning and influence of his name. As Ashoke visits Gogol's University, Gogol instantly “wonders if he is alone” (Lahiri 122), as a result of their minimal interactions. When Ashoke reveals "the night that had almost taken his life, and the book that had saved him" (123), Gogol is intensely overwhelmed and suddenly his initial name "means something entirely new" (123). Although Gogol involuntarily shows satisfaction with the fluctuation of his name, he begins to understand that "Nikhil will live on, publicly celebrated, unlike Gogol, deliberately hidden, legally belittled, now almost lost" (290), illustrating guilt and guilt for his apathetic behavior. . Second, the visionary essence that Gogol displays for his future motivates him to act on his strong-willed desires, resulting in an ongoing battle between his parents' beliefs and the conflicting opinions he holds. Gogol's negative mood elicits his pessimistic thoughts and feelings towards his parents, subsequently making "[i]t is easier to ignore his parents, to ignore their worries and pleas" (105). As a result, "his parents do not suspect that Gogol is, in his own way, an American teenager" (93), regardless of the carefree character he displays with his friends. Restrained by his own judgment, Gogol's backward mentality "finds himself able to do little from his parents except eat and sleep" (107), prompting a distant and isolated relationship. Third, although Ashima and Ashoke appreciate Gogol's presence, Gogol often feels relief when he is dissociated from them, despite quickly recognizing the time he is wasting. As a result, Gogol's confidential background is incompatible with his newly established girlfriend called Maxine, as she "is open about her past, showing him photographs of her ex-boyfriends in the pages of a marbled-paper album talking about those relationships without embarrassment or regret" (137-138). However, Ashoke's inevitable disappearance has a chilling effect on Gogol, making him feel "guilty [when] he throws away food" (175) in his father's apartment and provoking an insidious remorse for lost time. For these reasons, acts of affection and incorporation would eliminatethe dissatisfaction that Gogol experiences incessantly, evoking a small amount of displeasure in his resolutions. In New York, Gogol's identity emerges as he develops several intimate relationships that mark an exhilarating phase of his life, but ultimately endures adversity with their unconventional results. As Gogol's relationship with Ruth flourishes, he experiences his first impressions of true love, quickly removing his despondency and, thus, instigating a disoriented state of mind when deprived of her presence. When Ruth moves to Oxford, their relationship quickly weakens, as “they had begun to argue, both [admitting] eventually that something had changed” (120), despite the underlying affection that was originally shown at the sight. As a result, "It sickens [Gogol] to think of the physical distance between them" (117), having contributed to a great deal of despair and discouragement during his time at Yale. Furthermore, Gogol demonstrates gratitude for the blossoming of his relationship with Maxine, despite hastily concluding that she takes precious time away from his immediate family. As Ashoke's disappearance sparks a stronger bond between Gogol and his family, he is troubled by the fact that he "hears her apologizing to her mother, knowing that her father's death does not affect Maxine in the slightest" (182), and that " she did not understand that she had been left out of the family's plans to go to Calcutta" (188), regardless of her family's grace and grief. As Gogol feels less inclined to share his background with Maxine, she is inspired to constantly feel compassion from him, spurring their separation by virtue of his "feeling jealous of his mother and sister" (188), which further generates discouragement in Gogol. When Gogol and Moushumi are united in marriage, he is overjoyed and assumes that they will live in perpetual happiness, but not all is optimistic, as Moushumi consequently acts on impulse and infidelity. Once Moushumi reveals her relationship with Dimitri to Gogol, he "felt the chill of her secrecy, numbing him, like a poison rapidly spreading through his veins" (282), which results in their divorce. Therefore, the amount of kindness of heart he devotes to Moushumi has been in vain, which leads him to feel "the anger [and] humiliation of having been deceived" (282), giving rise to a despondent outlook on his future. . Ultimately, an appropriate and thoughtful approach, such as learning more about his partner, pushes his relationships into a downward spiral, despite the previous benefits on his individuality. Similarly, Moushumi undergoes an identity transformation that comes from empowering her decisions, even as she achieves several harmful outcomes that diminish her “flawless” image. First, Moushumi's growing trust in her parents reinforces a stronger demand to make her own decisions, in violation of the fact that they are actively against it. Over the course of her childhood, Moushumi distances herself further and further from her family's persuasive outlook as she pursues "a double major in French" (214), eradicating visceral feelings of "guilt, or [perplexity], or expectation of any kind" ( 214), while decidedly ignoring his father's footsteps. Because Moushumi's parents show a lack of sensitivity towards her opinions, she becomes determined to pursue her own decisions, even though she gets little support, as she "gathered all the money she had and moved to [Paris]" (215) for his assignment. -secondary education. Confined by her discord, Moushumi's ambition to separate herself from her Bengali heritage drives her to go against her parents' wishes without severing all ties with them. Consequentially,).