Though the film “The Namesake” focuses
more so on specific aspects of the plot, it contains the same purposes and
themes of the novel: family and individualism. This is a story about an
arranged marriage between an Indian couple who must learn to adapt and raise a
family in American Culture. With a strong focus on their son Gogol’s life, the
film portrays how by seeking individualism, he loses himself. The novel, on the
other hand, focuses more so on Ashoke and Ashima, his parents, showing that
through diversity one can find who they really are. Throughout both the movie
and the novel, there is much change. Change highlights which importances the
characters hold close to their hearts as well as who they wish to portray
themselves as. From the very first time Ashoke and Ashima meet, this is
evident.
“Glancing at the floor where visitors
customarily removed their slippers, she noticed, beside two set of chappals, a
pair of men’s shoes that were not like any she’d ever seen” (Page 8). As Ashima
is introduced to a new life and the changes that goes along with it, she is
intrigued. The novel shows that Ashima not only craves tradition and approval
but also wishes to grow up, become her own person, and live a life unlike the
one she was originally introduced to. By placing her feet within Ashoke’s shoes
the author shows that Ashima is open to change and interested by differences.
Parental approval is an important part of Ashima’s culture; it is how she was
raised. Though home is what she is content with, Ashima chooses to go through
with her parents’ wishes. Merely upon a week of meeting each other their
wedding invitations were printed (Pg. 9).Through these changes, she finds
herself. By living in new surrounding in a state of pregnancy with a man she
hardly knows she is able to realize that even without her family there with
her, her values remain consistent. Family is extraordinarily important to her,
as well as commitment and tradition. The film, though it doesn’t focus nearly
as much on Ashima and Ashoke’s transition, highly focuses on their son Gogol.
The novel’s strong focus on their marriage more so than simply their son’s
later life portrays what is important to Ashima. “Ashima took her seat and
smoothed the pleats of her sari. She sensed her mother eyeing her with
approval” (Page 9). Both the novel and the film hold true to the themes of family
and individualism, however, the film depicts the movement away from family
values in order to find a sense of self over the importance of tradition and
cultural identity. Ashima is content within her cultural identity, she has
found herself within it, Gogol however is not.
In this scene, the director amplifies
the author’s beliefs towards family importance, tradition, and respect for
differences, emphasizing the characters of Ashoke and Ashima. The close-ups
within this scene not only show how much Ashoke’s shoes stand out but also how
hesitant Ashima is to place her feet within his shoes. It is improper for her
to do such, yet she wishes to and does. Her cultural traditions are important
to her and she is reluctant to change that, however, this short scene shows
that she is ready for change. In the film, there is a close-up on Ashoke’s
shoes as Ashima places her feet within them. This may seem as an odd thing to
emphasize, however, the novel shows that it is worthy of attention; the novel
has twenty lines focused on this simple action. The director emphasizes the
shoes as a symbol of change. The shoes are American; this fact is emphasized in
both the novel and the film, and are foreign to Ashima. “Ashima, unable to
resist a sudden urge, stepped into the shoes at her feet” (Pg. 8). Moving onto
when she meets Ashima, the film and novel portray this in about the same way.
It wouldn’t make sense for the director to change these details; Ashoke is
silent, Ashima awaits approval, and their parents do most of the talking.
Lahiri sets up this scene in such a way to show the importance of parental
approval and tradition in the characters’ culture. the film simply amplifies
these beliefs within the scene. The only diegetic sound in this scene is the
dialogue; this forces the audience to focus in on what the characters are
saying. The lighting fills the room but isn't necessarily bright, this gives a
calming mood to the scene yet makes it clear that all the characters are
importance and should be seen. The high camera angle leads to the characters
being grouped as one, despite their differences (Nair). This scene is, in fact,
about marriage: the joining of two families. The novel is very focused on what
comes from this scene, Ashima and Ashoke’s life as a married couple. The film
focuses much more on their son, Gogol, and his reaction to living in an
environment seemingly so far from his cultural identity. The director, Mira
Nair, changes a rather large detail, instead of moving to Boston, Ashima and
Ashoke move to New York. this is done in order to visually compare American and
Indian culture through similarities such as the Howrah Bridge in Calcutta and
the Queensboro Bridge in New York. This parallels the two cultures in a way
that is visually appealing to the viewer, a way that a novel is unable to do
nearly as successfully. The director also leaves out certain information in
order to have a stronger focus on Gogol. For instance, he leaves out the
Montgomerys, Ashima and Ashoke’s first American neighbors. By taking away these
characters the cultural assumptions between Americans and Indians are not as
touched upon. This makes it even more important that the facts portrayed within
this scene are as accurate as possible in order to depict the values within
Indian Culture. This scene is important to both the film and the novel;
however, this portion of the movie holds a greater importance than in the
novel. Every second in it is planned perfectly in order to not simply compare
two cultures but show Ashoke and Ashima as young real people. People that can
later be compare to their son Gogol. The novel uses this scene more so as a way to see Ashoke and Ashima’s growth. The choices made by the director simply
gives the audience enough background information to further understand the
story as well as give them the details necessary to understand Indian culture
and what Ashima and Ashoke see as important: family and tradition.
Through her upcoming marriage to Ashoke,
Ashima finds herself. She realizes how important family is to her and what
comforts her. She holds tight to her culture yet lets go enough to become a
new, more open-minded person in a new place. This is seen throughout her
interactions with the Montgomerys as well as how she raises a family. Though
this is important in both the novel and the film, it is a larger part of the
novels plot. The film, on the other hand, needs this scene for other reasons.
Gogol is predominantly the main character in the movie, this scene of true
Indian culture and the way his parents were raised shows the audience who he is
expected to be. Obviously, with an upbringing in America, he does not turn out
completely like his parents; however, his values eventually become quite
similar. This scene, simply put, is about change, physically and emotionally,
but also the similarities between different cultures, upbringings, and people.
It is about finding a balance between family and individualism, security and
being yourself. The similarities between the novel and film strengthens their
meaning, giving the audience two different ways to few the same story. The
differences, though they shine a light on different characters, still keep the
themes perfectly intact. These contrasting entities have made it clear that
though it is the same story, different mediums (literature and film) can
portray the story differently. The novel gives much more detail, as novels
normally do, and due to the limited time in a movie, the director is forced to
choose scenes that are seen as not just important, but visually appealing to
the audience. Films tend to focus on more interesting, dramatic parts of the
novel, such as Gogol’s romances and introduction to American culture, whereas
novels tend to view the story from more perspectives and points in time. Even
so, both the film and the movie show the importance of family and how
individualism is able to either increase or destroy this.
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