The Namesake Chapter 5

In chapter 5, Gogol goes through an identity crisis trying to find out if he is actually Gogol or Nikhil. At the beginning of the chapter, Gogol is annoyed with his name and after his father approves his decision, Gogol goes to a court to have his name changed to Nikhil. I personally thought it was a bad decision to have his name changed, as I find that to be disrespectful to the name given by his parents but his name is very distinct so he may have a reason. He must change his name through many documents, but he is glad to start college with a new name to be called by, a name he likes. But he then seems to feel some form of guilt. He feels like he is someone he isn’t, acting like another person and that the name Nikhil does not truly identify who he is. This shows Gogols’ identity crisis as he can’t seem to know for sure who he is. He believes that his new name has created a whole new person without realizing he is the same person. Midway through the chapter, I had realized something interesting, although Gogol has changed his name officially, the narrator continues to refer to the character as Gogol. This gave me a sense that Gogol is his true name and who he is, as Nikhil is a cover-up. Gogol seems to slowly become Nikhil when he refers to his university as home, the place where he thinks he belongs. This upsets his mother Ashima as he is slowly becoming someone he isn’t. The chapter moves on as Gogol boards a train and meets a girl named Ruth. They fall in love but soon depart from each other once she leaves for Oxford. Gogol then travels back home by train but it is then delayed because of a suicide. His father is worriedly waiting for him at the station when he arrives, the reason being is because of his personal experience. Ashoke then tells Gogol the story of his traumatic event and completely surprises Gogol. I thought it was a great time for Ashoke to bring up this story as it helps Gogol through his identity crisis and understand what his name means and who he truly is.