A New Identity Derrick Higgins College

“Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.” Theodore Roosevelt

If living a life of overcoming challenges and unique obstacles is the milestone for leaving a name worth remembering, then immigrant woman Jasmine, the protagonist of Bharati Mukherjee’s novel, certainly meets the requirements. Born in India and migrating to the United States at a young age, upon which she travels through different states (Florida, New York, Iowa, and ultimately California), Jasmine gives the reader a glimpse into her life by sharing her experiences and the people she encounters. She wittingly shows the reader her transformations by the names which she identifies herself throughout the story. Each name Jasmine adorns throughout the book—Jyoti, Jasmine, Jase, and Jane—is a testament to how she views her own identity, how others see her, and the unique moments and events that help to shape her identity and allow new facets of her persona to rise.

Looking at her life through a chronological lens, Jasmine begins as Jyoti in her home village of Hasnapur in India (Mukherjee 77). The reader is shown throughout the story that Jyoti is a girl of family tradition and small village values. The opening chapter of...