A Focus on Ashoke

In the end of the first and in the beginning of the second chapters of this novel we start to have a more clear defined Ashoke. He has more depth to his name, but what should we think of all this information? Ashoke seems to be a very contemporary Indian, not staying in his parents house after marriage and moving to America. This contemporary mindset comes from not being forward minded, but from his close to death experience with the train, "He imagined not only walking, but walking away, as far as he could from the place he was born and the place he nearly died."(Lahiri, 20) I think Ashoke came to America for a fresh start and to run away from his fear and memories that come with India. This is interesting because while Ashima compares everything to India, Ashoke left his family voluntarily for  America. This is now two conflicting mindsets. Ashima who wants to be home in India, while Ashoke wants to be far from India. I think this conflict will be addressed in the novel because it is a battle of the old and new India. As we see in the novel Ashoke suffers from some form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Every once in awhile he sees lurid images of being stuck in that train, the interesting thing instead of believing God rescued him he thinks Gogol the russian writer rescued him. I think Ashoke feels in debt to the writer because with out that page in his hand he believes he would of never been rescued. We easily see this with Ashoke naming the baby Gogol trying to fulfill the debt he feels to this writer.  In conclusion Ashoke is an interesting character because his mindset conflicts with his wife's mindset and feels in debt to a writer he has never met.