Read the first part here
After some years, Ashoke’s family decide to go to India for a vacation. One night Ashoke received a call from Rana, Ashima’s brother informing him that Ashima’s father had a heart attack and died. She was sad. They reached their only after six days.
Later they decided to change Gogol’s name to Nikhil officially. Even after high school, Nikhil’s concept of India hardly changed. For him, India was just another country in the world. He felt Bostin was the sweetest place on earth.
Nikhil slowly shifted to American culture. He forgot his parents’ culture. Then he developed a relationship with Ruth first. She was from a broken family. Later he ends that relationship.
Ashoke had a cardiac arrest and he passed away. Then Gogol realizes how important was his father to him. Gogol and Ashima gave last rites to Ashoke with Bengali rituals. Gogol feels that he needs to support his family in the absence of Ashoke.
Nikhil meets Maxine and falls in a relationship with her. He introduced her to Ashima. Ashima prepared some Indian dishes for her. Nikhil felt embarrassed about that. Maxine later welcomed Gogol to shift from his current place. Gogol refused it and eventually, they decided to break up.
Ashima forced Gogol to marry soon. They found Moushumi an Indian-born girl who lives in the US now. Ashima was happy about the relationship as her family is also from Bengal. In India family has an indispensable role. The theme of Individual freedom versus family is visible as Gogol marries Moushumi. Moushumi supported feminist concepts. It was a shock for Ashima who was brought up in a patriarchal family.
Later she decides to end her relationship with Nikhil. She marries Dimitri whom she had a relationship even before marriage. By the end of the story, Nikhil is also surrounded by loneliness. He reads Nikolay Gogol‘s, whom his father admired, short stories.
Ashima decided to spend time with her brother. She shifted there. Nikhil thinks about the affection of his father. Even though he remained in America, he decided not to completely forsake his Indian roots.
