Thursday, April 30, 2015

Here we are, at the end of this novel. I must say, it did overall make me think, it made me question identity and tradition, it convinced me to do research on what my name actually means (It means victorious ship, or victorious island, if anyone cares), but I also found it predictable and overall unexciting (Probably just because adventure and sci-fi are my thing).
Also, after Gogols father died, I found it hard to keep myself reading the novel, because to me, he was the most interesting and compelling character, I mean, if it wasn't for him moving to America in the first place, there wouldn't even be a story.
Maxine... let's talk about Maxine
I honestly really enjoyed her character because i felt she was one of the only people in the novel NOT struggling with identity. She was just Maxine, your average young woman, chasing the all-too-common American dream. A quote that really backs up this statement is "she had a gift of accepting her life, he realized that she never wished she was anyone but herself"(6.50) I feel like Maxine added a nice simplicity to Gogol's life, and I really do wish that they had stayed together (Even though I knew it would never happen) I'm not even going to get into his one year long relationship with his cheating wife. She lacked any traits that I would find appealing, she was selfish and ignorant. I do see why Gogol got with her though, she was part of his Bengali life, and when his father passed he found it hard keeping it alive.
Now let's talk about the star of the book, Gogol himself. I must say that I was, like many other people reading the novel, able to relate to him. I think most people, especially teenagers and young adults are trying to discover themselves and embrace their identity, much like Gogol was trying to do throughout the whole novel.
Overall, this novel is one that aims to make you think, about your life, about your identity. It was well written and created many questions for the reader to think about.
Looking forward to hearing more opinions on the last part of the book.
ENJOY

2 comments:

  1. I completely agree with Maxine's character being the most interesting, for readers that aren't struggling with identity that would be there connecting character. Gogol on the other hand, is the other connecting character for like you said, people who are in fact still finding themselves.The book is predictable but you still have this little hope inside for a plot twist or what you know is gonna happen for it not to actually happen!

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  2. I actually found myself liking Maxine as well. She was sure-footed and confident, which I think attracted Gogol in the first place. I liked the quote you picked out to reinforce your position of Maxine's character being herself, great pick! I also agree about your view on Moushumi, I definitely don't like her!! Great post!

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