A man lives his life and evolves over time; embodies a synthesis of all his experiences with those he meets throughout his life. What he sees when he finally meets the son he helps bring into this world for the first time is unique to who he is and what he is. His thoughts often turn to how he grew up and the man his father was; it is often said that this time will be different and that he will be different from his father. Nowhere are these complexities more evident than in the lives of fathers and sons living in America growing up in separate worlds – and all this in the shadow of mainstream culture. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri and Fences by August Wilson represent the growing pains of two very different families, but keep within the similar theme of the lasting and complex effects of relationships between fathers and children. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Troy Maxson is the protagonist of the play Fences, the son of a free man. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime of which the party has been duly convicted, shall exist in the United States…” (U.S. Const. Amendable XIII, 1865). The story places him as a teenager in the early 1900s; therefore, his father is at least the descendant of a slave. The work does not specify the details, but with the abolition of slavery in 1865, the likelihood that his father is actually a previously freed slave, rather than being born free, is very likely especially considering Troy's story of how he left his father , "The only part of the world I knew was the forty-two acres of Mr. Lubin's land... I was done with farming... So I walked the two hundred miles to Mobile. (Wilson, p. 916 ) He becomes himself early in life thanks to his harsh example as a father born from a dark chapter in American history, when slavery was still a relatively recent memory. His difficult upbringing leaves him little choice and pushes him to seek a new life. Troy's parental psychology is in many ways the product of the persistent and long-lasting consequences of the evils of slavery in the United States. “The only thing my father cared about was bringing bales of cotton to Mr. Lubin. That was the only thing that mattered to him.” (Wilson, pg. 914) Growing up with this type of mentality makes Troy the father he will eventually become later on. Here, there is no better example of the ethic of not caring about anything else and hard work that becomes central to how he sees the world and his responsibilities as his lasting legacy. He sees his role as doing whatever is necessary to be the “bread earner,” and that is his only real goal in life when he comes to know it for himself; he is bound by the only means he inherits, the sweat of his hard work. He can't be much to Lyons, his eldest son, who scolds him: “I'm thirty-four. If you wanted to change me, you should have been there when I was growing up. (Wilson, pg. 898) With a relationship that is tenuous at best with Lyons, his tough love grows greater with his youngest son, Cory. “I don't want him to be like me! I want him to get as far away from my life as possible. (Wilson, pg. 909) Troy is adamant about destroying any attempts to turn sports into a career, but he makes it abundantly clear that he has the best of intentions. He teaches Cory to become a responsible young man and continues to push him to make sure he is a good, honest, hard worker. He believes, based on his experiences and who he is, that no black man will ever make it in the white world of American sports. Similar to Troy Maxson at least in sharing the concernfor his son's future success, Ashoke Ganguli is deeply thoughtful and considerate. in Lahiri's novel. “[He] looks off to the side, his wife's suitcase in hand, smiling with his head lowered. “Gogol enters the world,” [Ashoke] will eventually write…” (Lahiri, p. 29) At the beginning, at the birth of his son, Ashoke is the kind of father we are most ready to recognize and accept. He's the kind of man who wears his cultured nature as a scholar and professor at an esteemed university quite well. His deep intellect shines through as he names his son after a brilliant writer who ties him to his past - a very background story. personal waiting and hoping to eventually reveal much later to his son one day, when the time is right. He sees his son as a magnificent gift given to him for having survived a terrible accident that almost took his life .In his son, he sees the wonders of life reborn and immediately makes a connection with his choice to name him Gogol. Having been born from a very different cultural identity, Ashoke is often cautiously concerned about Gogol's maturation and takes steps not to lose. its deepest connections. to his son. "[Ashoke and his wife, Ashima,] send him to Bengali language and culture lessons every Saturday... Because when Ashima and Ashoke close their eyes it never ceases to trouble them, that their children sound just like Americans, conversing deftly in a language that still sometimes confuses them, in the accents they are used to not trust (Lahiri, p. 65) Bengali culture is important as a basis for how he raises his children and, although he is open to their assimilation. in America, he believes that if they lose their connection to their heritage, they will probably also lose their family connection to each other. Traditions, family, community and India form the building blocks of his relationship with his children two worlds collide, friction inevitably arises, as cultural differences and the resulting problems tend to creep into the lives and relationships of fathers and sons “I don't understand. Why did you have to give me a pet name in the first place? What's the point? …it's not even a Bengali name… How could you give me the name of someone so strange?” (Lahiri, pp. 99-100) Ashoke is still waiting for the right moment when he will feel that Gogol is ready to know his deeply personal reasons and connection with the name. “Then change it… In America anything is possible. Do as you wish." (Lahiri, pg. 100) Instead of openly saying why his name means so much to him, Ashoke shows his persevering patience in his fathering style and also positively reinforces his son's continued assimilation in ways and manners. American values ​​above his feelings. This is a characteristic that distinguishes him greatly from Troy Maxson; Ashoke acquiesces to his son's wishes while Troy dictates his exact demands. Much can be said about Ashoke's cultured Bengali ways: even if he is kind, thoughtful and relatively considerate, Ashoke remains steadfast in his characteristic reservation about the personal expression of emotions. It becomes difficult to finally tell Gogol about the importance of his name. “[He] is not the type to admit these things, to speak openly of his desires, his moods, his needs… “I want to tell you something… It's about your name…” She tells him about the night that almost ended his life, and the book that saved his life, and about the following year, when he was unable to move. (Lahiri, pp. 122-123) So, in truth, Ashoke's waiting for the right moment did not depend solely on whether or not Gogol was ready to know, but is more profoundly a reflection of his long development of his collective state of preparation. ; his feelings.