Displacement of Characterization in Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake

Abstract

Jhumpa Lahiri’s insight into the psychology of relationships, aging, maturity, and loss is remarkable. Her subject, in the novel as also in her stories, is the loneliness of dislocation. What makes her work stand out is, at least, partly due to the gentle and persuasive way in which the atmosphere of displacement is evoked. In the present novel, she talks about Gogol, a young man about the same age as the author, born like her to immigrant parents from West Bengal, who grows up into brilliant student and a successful architect even as he has to struggle to discover himself through successive ill-fated relationships and appreciate the worth of expectations of his parents.
Jhumpa Lahiri excels in the art of characterization with a balanced treatment of the external and inner details of her characters. An undercurrent of empathy runs through the narrative and this empathy is not limited to any particular type of individuals but is widely bestowed on all – young old, Indians, Americans alike. Besides being subtly drawn, her characters belong to our times and our world. They are not wooden dummies or caricatures; they pulsate with life. There are enough details to render them individualized. Hence, they are substantial and not shadowy. Such characters endear themselves to the readers and leave a lasting impression on their minds. Lahiri’s eye for detail coupled with a compassionate heart provides magic tough to the novel.