The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri depicts the immigration experience, cultural identity, and family tradition. Similarly, Bend It Like Beckham, a movie directed by Gurinder Chadha, tells a story of a young, Indian girl who is culturally torn between two worlds. The theme of alienation is present in the book; Ashima Ganguli, Gogol’s mother, feels like a stranger in foreign place. Gogol sees America as his home and appreciates America in a way that his mother cannot understand. Gogol’s name is the only thing that makes him feel like an outcast. After communication difficulties between Gogol’s parents and relatives in India, their baby was named something other than the name his grandmother chose for him. Even though Gogol was not named following his culture’s tradition, his name has meaning that is held very close to his father’s heart. The variation of protagonists allows the readers to interpret all situations from multiple points of view. Jesminder Bhamra struggles between remaining loyal to her Indian culture and conforming to the British way of life. The visual effects of the movie help demonstrate the difficult decision Jesminder has to make between following her dream, playing soccer, and meeting her family’s expectations, having an arranged marriage. The director wants the audience to understand that Jesminder’s family has become an obstacle in following her dream, but she will not let them get in her way of succeeding. Jesminder tries very hard to please herself, her soccer team, and her family. Although it may be hard, she is succeeding at living the best of both worlds. In the book, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri and the movie, Bend It Like Beckham, the main characters must find their own identity in a new society under their family’s’ cultural traditions.

The Namesake portrays the challenges faced by an Indian boy who was born in America, Gogol Ganguli, while discovering his identity and place and society. The book also portrays the difficulties that his parents, Ashima and Ashoke, faced leaving their loved ones behind in India when moving to America. Ashima compares living in America to being pregnant because they are both “a perpetual wait, a constant burden, a continuous feeling out of sorts… something that elicits the same curiosity from strangers, the same combination o