Jhumpa Lahiri's Namesake Living in America, the Ganguli find themselves having to choose between two radically different cultures. As a second-generation Indian American, Gogol Ganguli is expected to preserve the ideals of his traditionally Indian parents while successfully assimilating into mainstream American culture. In “The Namesake,” Jhumpa Lahiri reveals the stark contrasts between the perceptions of Ashima, Ashoke, and Gogol in relation to their Indian and American views of relationships. Throughout his youth, Gogol Ganguli undoubtedly embraces American culture with enthusiasm while distancing himself from his Bengali origins, especially in the field of relationships. He, despite his parents' wishes, becomes very much like an average American teenager. Even though "[he] doesn't date anyone in high school... [and] doesn't go to dances or parties" (93), he still has crushes on girls and wishes he could date them. Gogol's parents are completely naive about what he is really like during his adolescence. When they were young they didn't have any relationships with the opposite sex, so they don't find it strange that Gogol doesn't have any either. Furthermore, it seems absolutely absurd to them that he even takes girls and his age into consideration. Dating would take away his time to dedicate to his studies and is therefore not even an option. ... half of the paper ... they are married and even then they shouldn't do it in public. The sight of Maxine running her hand through Gogol's hair makes them feel embarrassed enough to look away. Does not adhere to Ashoke and Ashima's perception of what is acceptable courtship behavior in a relationship. Indian and American views on dating, relationships and love are widely mistrusted. A child of two cultures, Gogol had to deal with the rigorous ideals of his Bengali parents and the passionate opinion of his American colleagues. Works Cited Lahiri, Jhumpa. The namesake. New York: First Sailor Books, 2003.