Alien Nation

Alienation is defined as "the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved." Wow does this sound like Gogol. The definition is interesting as it brings up the idea of should you be involved in something. Does Gogol have to be involved in his Bengali culture just because he is Bengali? This is probably how he felt throughout the book. Gogol struggled with accepting his background growing up, something you can't escape nor deny. Unfortunately, he let it prevent him from doing what he wanted, living a life he wanted. Leaving him with a bunch of "what ifs." Throughout his teenage years he didn't want to date because he thought his name/he was too strange and his parents would be disapproving. He doesn't want to let his Bengali roots to define him so he tries to ignore it. He tries to escape it. He separates himself from it. He doesn't understand his parents struggle with being homesick nor what it's like having their family on the other side of the globe. He doesn't understand the reason for their parents continuing their culture and identity in America. For these reasons and others, he doesn't appreciate his culture. A lot of his major decisions are based off on putting distance between him and his parents.

Gogol doesn't want to go to MIT as that is where his dad wants him to go and that’s where his dad works. He doesn't want that kind of tie/reminder so he chooses Yale. He wants to put distance between them. Yale also has a different setting and offers a different geographical setting. There, he doesn't want any part that has to do with his culture. He doesn't want to join the Indian Association when Amit asks him. He moves away and rarely keeps up with his parents. "He prefers New York, a place which his parents do not know well..." He doesn't want to end up like them either. Alienation is a heavily repeated theme in The Namesake. But at the same time he constantly brings his parents up and his culture. This is evident during his time with Maxine. He has a dream of his mother calling him and he realizes he hasn't been in contact with his parents in so long that it wakes him up. He is reassured when he realizes they don't even know where he is staying. He also enjoys being apart of this lavish American upper class lifestyle, something he has never been a part of, more than he has ever enjoyed being Bengali.
Also his parents alienated their kids from experiencing an American household (until the kids decide they don't want it). They only befriended Bengalis not because of who they were but because they shared that same culture and reminded them of their old lives. They exposed Gogol to Bengali ways. They really only knew Bengali customs so it's not totally intentional. But they preferred him to focus on his studies and continue in Bengali customs even when he was older.
Overall, alienation is what plays a huge role in The Namesake because it makes Gogol undergo an identity crisis. It plays a huge factor in what he decides for his future.