Week 8 Discussion (pages 237-270)

Good Saturday afternoon Scholars,

Can you believe that we are on week eight of The Namesake?  During this section, we explore the progress of Nikhil (Gogol) and Moushumi's relationship.  There is a very important lesson about open, effective communication here both with others and ourselves. We see a once, seemingly strong relationship weaken when real communication does not occur.  On a side note, Moushumi does attend a pretty amazing university!

Only one more section to go, and 12 days until the first day of classes and senior year...woohoo!  I am very proud of you all for your focus and motivation during this summer reading process.  As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns please reach out so we can make sure everything you are reading is clear.

Here are some questions to consider for the eighth section of the text (pages 237-270):

1.Why does Moushumi´s smoking habit start to annoy Nikhil? How does Moushumi react to him when he shows his concern for her health?

2. How does Nikhil view the lifestyle of Moushumi´s Brooklyn friends, Astrid and Donald? Why is Moushumi so loyal to this couple? Why does Nikhil distrust them?

3. Why is the conversation about naming babies at Astrid and Donald´s party so revealing?

4. What three achievements does Moushumi celebrate in 1999? Why does the third achievement remain a secret that Nikhil is totally unaware of? How is that "secret" only one of many others that she kept from Nikhil when she was studying for her Ph.D. exams?

5.  How did Moushumi's "acceptable" relationship with Nikhil excite her? Why is it that "falling in love with him, doing precisely what had been expected of her for her entire life, had felt forbidden, wildly transgressive, a breach of her own instinctive will" (250)? (Why did falling in love with Nikhil feel like a rebellious act against her own beliefs?)


6. Who is Dimitri Desjardins and how did Moushumi reconnect with him in New York City?

7. How does Moushumi write Dimitri Desjardins´s name and phone number down in her agenda? Why doesn´t her action feel like a "betrayal" (261)? What book does she look for later on at home? Why?

8.  What does Moushumi do the following week? What happens during this week and the following weeks?

9.  What thoughts run through Nikhil´s mind about his marriage to Moushumi while his wife is away for the weekend in Palm Beach at another conference?



Think about your responses. You do not need to answer all the questions here unless you would like to do so. Instead, use the questions to explore the themes of the reading.  Also remember to work on the summer reading organizer.  The organizer will be collected by your English 4 teacher when school starts in September.  If you misplaced it, here is the link: 12R Summer Reading.

Remember next week's reading, the last of Summer 16 reading includes pages 271-291.  Enjoy the week ahead everyone!

#AboveAP