The Namesake Response

The movie we watched on Thursday about the Indian immigration family was really interesting and it made me think. We can relate Gogal and his sister to two CRT terms “false consciousness” and “double consciousness.”

In the beginning, Gogal did not understand why his father named him “Gogal.” He was told that Gogal was his father’s favorite author, but he never knew the story behind his name and how significant “Gogal” meant to his father. Gogal and his sister experienced false consciousness at first. They considered themselves us Americans and forgot about their Indian heritages. When his patents took them both back to India to visit their family. Gogal’s sister said “I wanna go HOME.” She didn't consider India her home at all. Gogal changed his name to Nick and he dated a white girl saying “I don't care what my parents want.”

However, Gogal’s father’s sudden death changed the entire family. Gogal and his sister started to realize their Indian heritage. They both wore Indian traditional cloth for his father’s funeral. In addition, Gogal shaved his head for his father’s death. Gogal said “I wanna to, Ma” when Ashima comforted Gogal that he didn't have to shave his head. That's when they began to recognize their Indian culture in themselves.