Regardless of how a child behaves towards their parents, all that ultimately matters is their unconditional love for them. However, how long it takes for them to express gratitude will depend on each child. In the novel The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri demonstrates this by describing the life of a young boy named Gogol and his ever-changing relationship with his mother. This demonstrates that a child is incapable of viewing their parents as a human being until the parental figure experiences a traumatic event that allows them to empathize with their parents. Although parents play an immense role in a child's life, their support is often underestimated. They are simply seen as a beneficial object that can help or hinder the child. Gogol often feels annoyed when his parents call to see how things are going: “'Oh, Nick [Gogol's nickname]. Your mother called. Gerald [the girlfriend's father] had said, looking up from the screen. “Twice,” Lydia [his girlfriend’s mother] added. He felt a sense of embarrassment” (Lahiri 170). A call from his mother is an act of love towards his son. Not only does Gogol not see this, but he considers this unnecessary phone call to be an embarrassment on his part. I often feel this way about my mother too. Since she stays home full time, I'm used to being dropped off and picked up by car, rather than finding my own transportation. Since I'm so used to this lifestyle, I always assume she will get me to and from different places on time. However, when I find myself waiting longer than usual for my mother to pick me up, I feel restless. Nonetheless, I should still feel grateful that I was able to take a ride to begin with. Gogol and I accustom our parents' love to a...... middle of paper ......pport that they need. These events force us to take a leap of maturity to finally become aware of our mothers' need for love. By going through these crises, we can see our parents not as useful objects, but rather as human beings like us. The novel The Namesake is clearly able to reflect my life, both showing that children are incapable of viewing their parents as human beings unless the parent is triggered by a traumatic event. This causes the child to feel empathy for the parental figure and suddenly be able to mature so that they can humanize their parents. In this way, traumatic events for the family can often be healthy and necessary for the child's maturity. After all, if he is unable to see his parents at their weakest, it may take a child much longer to discover their gratitude and express the love they are due...