Belonging & Relationships - Ashoke Chapter One

Ashoke

Repetition

Quote: “For this he thanks his parents, and their parents, and the parents of their parents.” (p. 21)

Belonging is a complex process which can be perceived differently depending on the context of the individual. In The Namesake the author Jhumpa Lahiri demonstrates how one’s own relationships are tied closely to their sense of belonging in her use of repetition. In describing Ashoke’s situation of living three lives; before the train crash, after it and leaving India, he states that ““For this he thanks his parents, and their parents, and the parents of their parents.”  In demonstrating the notion that Ashoke has strong relationships; despite living in a foreign place, Lahiri shows that having these relationships leads him to feel as though he belongs. He is loved. He does belong. Hence relationships are conveyed as being tightly linked to belonging, and the strength of these relationships can lead to a strong sense of belonging.