This article proposes and analyzes the generalized weak Galerkin ({\rm g}WG) finite element method for the second order elliptic problem. A generalized discrete weak gradient operator is introduced in the weak Galerkin framework so that the {\rm g}WG methods would not only allow arbitrary combinations of piecewise polynomials defined in the interior and on the boundary of each local finite element, but also work on general polytopal partitions. Error estimates are established for the corresponding numerical functi…