The Namesake presents the life of Ashima Ganguli, who was transported from India to America with grace and compassion. This story of Jhumpa Lahiri is an allegory that establishes an identity with the use of symbolic meanings between two intersecting cultures. The story's themes relate to immigrant experiences, conflict between cultures, contrasting assimilation, and connecting generations. The namesake opens up the worlds of emotions that Ashima experiences, as she straddles her two worlds. This story of identity allows readers to travel with Ashima on an intimate journey through her life as an immigrant. As a young wife and mother, Ashima Ganguli experiences labor and birth just like many other American women, in a hospital. Motherhood is offered as a transnational identity, representing traditional gender roles sometimes considered subordinate. Ashima calmly observes the habits of the American women around her. He hears husbands tell their wives that they love them. This is something a Bengali husband or wife would never say. While maintaining many traditional Bengali beliefs and practices, giving birth in a hospital is more typical of an American woman. Traditionally, Indian women are known to give birth in the home they grew up in, returning to their childhood, without the presence of their husbands or in-laws. The traditional Indian sari draped around Ashima is exchanged for a hospital gown that leaves her feeling self-conscious by exposing her lower legs. For this reason Ashima does not identify with the many American women who wear short skirts, exposing their skin. Ashima feels lonely, knowing that she will sleep alone for the first time. He always slept in a... middle of paper ......d. Many practices within different cultures are familiar, leading us to the realization that even though people have different beliefs and values ​​and come from different countries, there are also many similarities. By analyzing various practices within different cultures, you begin to see what a society that reflects your customs looks like. Through The Namesake, symbolic meaning contributes to the overall message of being able to establish an identity and embrace the identity of others. The Namesake combines the Ganguli family's awareness of ethnicity, regularly giving expression to what we have come to recognize as a family trying to assimilate into the environment they have decided to be a part of. The namesake had brought the Ganguli family from their traditional life in Calcutta through a transformation into a life in America.