undergraduate thesis, faculty of letters, Christian University of Indonesia batch 2010, maria kristina pingkan, 2014

1. EXPLORING
IDENTITIES OF
BENGALI - INDIAN
WOMEN
IN JHUMPA
LAHIRI’S THE
NAMESAKE
MARIA KRISTINA PINGKAN
1021150015

2. BACKGROUND
The Namesake (2003)
 The story of Bengali – Indian family in
America.
 Characters:
 Gogol Ganguli
 Ashima Ganguli (Gogol’s mother)
 Moushumi Mazoomdar (Gogol’s ex-wife)

3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
 What is the traditional Bengali-Indian social
concept that rules woman’s roles, such as being a
daughter, a wife and a mother?
 How does this concept shift as the women live
outside India are influenced by another culture, in
this case by American society?
 How do Ashima and Moushumi identify themselves
through their personality traits and behaviors
toward their roles, cultures, and societies?
 How does a name reflect roles and beliefs of
Ashima as a woman?

4. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
 To know the traditional Bengali-Indian social
concept that rules woman’s roles, such as being a
daughter, a wife and a mother.
 To know how this concept shifts as the women live
outside India are influenced by another culture, in
this case by American society.
 To know how Ashima and Moushumi identify
themselves through their personality traits and
behaviors toward their roles, cultures, and
societies.
 To know how a name reflects roles and beliefs of
Ashima as a woman.

5. THEME
Edgar. V. Roberts (1999) Writing Themes about
Literature.
 the words and thoughts of the first-person speaker.
 the dramatic statements made by characters.
 the degree to which characters may stand for ideas.

6. IDENTITY
 Identity is the distinctive character belonging
to any given individual, or shared by all
members of a particular social category or group
(Rummens, 1993)
 Identification (identity theory) or self-categorization
(social identity theory) is the formation process of
identity (Skets & Burke, 2000)

7. Identification or self-categorization is divided into two (Culler,
1997)
process in life
(self something
made identification)
predetermined in
birth
(self something
given identification)
IDENTIFICATION

8. IDENTITY &ROLE
 Role is “the function or position that somebody has
or is expected to have in an organization, in society
or in a relationship” (Hornby, Oxford Advanced
Learner’s Dictionary, 2003)
Personal
Identity
Group Identity
Role Identity
(Stets & Burke, 2000:224-237)

9. BENGALI – INDIAN CULTURE TOWARD
WOMEN’S ROLES
As wives and mothers
* being pure,
* serving,
* nurturing
* sacrificing
As daughters
*being pure
* being obedient &
respectful
MARRIAGE

10. BENGALI – INDIAN CULTURE TOWARD
WOMEN’S ROLES
GOOD NAME
(bhalonam)
* formal
* meaningful
NAME
PET NAME
(daknam)
* informal
* meaningless
Sircar. 1994. Personal Names in Bengali: A Selective Indexing

11. FEMINIST APPROACH
* WOMEN AS A SUBJECT
* OPPRESSION IN PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY
* BELIEF OF WOMEN’S EQUALITY

12. ASHIMA AND MOUSHUMI PERSONALITY TRAITS
Identific
ation
Traits Ashima Moushumi
Appear
ances
and
Behavi
ors
Appearances • height: five feet four inches
•Pretty
• slender face
• middle-parted hair
The way of dressing •wearing sari and salwar
kameeze
• wearing bindi
• fashionable in Paris
style
Personalities • knowledgeable
• active
• brave
• pleasant/ friendly
• smart
• active
• brave
Good
name
and Pet
name
Good name
(bhalonam)
Ashima Badhuri,
Ashima Ganguli
(the limitless)
Moushumi
Mazoomdar
(the damp
southwesterly breeze)
Pet name (daknam) Monu
Addition • cooking skill
• housewive community
• managing skill
• academic and

13. BENGALI – INDIAN CULTURE TOWARD
WOMEN’S ROLES

14. roles
dharma
As daughters As wives As mothers
being pure * pre-marital
chastity/
keeping
virginity
* limiting herself to mixing
intimately with other men beside
her husband
being
obedient
and respect
ful
* choosing
college & major
* choosing
husband
serving * serving husband’s needs
* being expert in household affairs
nurturing * loving & giving
* dedicating time to spiritual
practices
* giving counsel to younger
family member
sacrificing * engaging herself to her
husband’s will
* adapting husband’s name

15. AS DAUGHTERS
dharma
As
daughters
Ashima Moushumi
being pure * pre-
marital
chastity/
keeping
virginity
• Ashoke is the only man
touches her through the
sweat of his feet (Lahiri,
2003:8)
• seducing and having
sex with several men,
even strangers, before
marriage (Lahiri,
2003:215)
being
obedient
and respect
ful
* choosing
college &
major
• not specifically mentioned,
but she is an English tutor
• choosing Brown instead
of Princeton, the one her
parents hope
• having double degree, in
chemistry and French
Literature
* choosing
husband
• through arranged marriage • her own decision
conclusion • Obedient • Rebellious

16. AS WIVES
dharma As wives Ashima Moushumi
being pure * limiting herself to mixing
intimately with other men
beside her husband
does not have affair having affair with Dimitri
serving * serving husband’s needs cooking for her husband busy with her own
schedule
* being expert in
household affairs
cooking skills and
maintaining home
it is rarely depicted that
Moushumi does
household affairs
sacrificing * engaging herself to her
husband’s will
no romantic words or
physical affection yet she
is so obedient to Ashoke
let her husband alone in
Paris and make him feel
useless
* adapting husband’s
name
Ashoke’s name is hers,
her life and her world
refuse to use Gogol’s last
name as hers

17. ASHIMA AS A NURTURING MOTHER
dharma example
loving & giving raising Gogol in America without any help from relatives
dedicating time
to spiritual
practices
Puja
Annaprasan
Mourning diet
giving counsel to
younger family
member
worrying Gogol
helping Gogol to find a wife for him

18. THE SHIFT OF THE TRADITIONAL BENGALI-INDIAN
SOCIAL CONCEPT IN AMERICAN SOCIETY
 Ashima (point 3.3.)
 Independence  Ashima’s name
 Social Life  Bengali-Indian acquintances
 American friends in library
 Moushumi
 Lack of doing her roles as a Bengali-Indian woman

19. CONCLUSION
GOGOL’S
IDENTITY MOUSHUMI
(Modern)
ASHIMA
(Traditional)
BENGALI –
INDIAN
CULTURE
AMERICAN
SOCIETY
FORM FORM
independence
social life
wedding
wedding
TENDENCY

20. T
H
A
N
K
Y
O
U