The Namesake | Teaching Key Figures

Character Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major characters in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Characters

Nikhil 'Gogol' Ganguli - This character is a second-generation immigrant from India who decides upon a legal name change and later regrets it.

Ashima Ganguli - This character is a native of India who comes to America and does not get a job for a long time. This character makes friends mainly with other immigrants from India for many years before accepting American culture and making American friends.

Ashoke Ganguli - This native of India follows earlier advice to travel and emigrates to America, where this character stays in spite of another character's...
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