Singh1

MeheakSingh
Ms.Gardner
English10H/Period4
20October2015
Desire,orDuty?
Evans,DonaldG."Overviewof'Jasmine'."
LiteratureofDevelopingNationsforStudents
:
PresentingAnalysis,Context,andCriticismonLiteratureofDevelopingNations
.Ed.
ElizabethBellalouna,MichaelL.LaBlanc,andIraMarkMilne.Vol.1.Detroit:
Gale,2000.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.Web.20Oct.2015.

DonaldG.EvansexpertlyusesantithesistodescribetheconstrictionJasmine,an
immigrantfromIndia,feelsfromherdutiesasawife,andthedesiresshehas:
similarly,heexaminestheideaofJasmineacceptingherdestinyorpavingherown
pathinlife.Followingherdesirewouldresultinadventure,love,andhappiness
whichultimatelyleadstodanger,heartbreak,andsadness.HeanalyzesJasmines
mangledthoughts,andtheoverallthemeoffreewillorpredestination

Evansfluidityguidesreadersthroughthedepthsoflanguage,cultureand
devotiontounravelthecomplexknotofchoicesfoundin
Jasmine.
Heexploreseach
oftheseoptionsandtheirrespectivelyrisks,showinghowdifficultJasmines
decisionmusthavebeentomake.Hisparadoxicalliteratureexploresmultiple

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contrastingideas,anditoffersmindfulinsighttodisentangleJasminesboundless
journey.
LostIdentities
Leard,AbhaPrakash."Mukherjee's
Jasmine
."
TheExplicator
55.2(Winter1997):114117.Rpt.
in
ContemporaryLiteraryCriticism
.Ed.JeffreyW.HunterandDeborahA.Schmitt.Vol.
115.Gale,1999.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.Web.1Nov.2015.

AbhaLeardexplorestheculturalrestrictionsandviolencetheprotagonistexperiences,
andhowmultipleidentitiesportrayedin
Jasmine
allowedhertoadvancefromthose
beliefs.JasminesnamesJyoti,Jasmine,Jazzy,Jase,Janeslowlygetmorewesternized,
andtheyhelptocloakherethnicdifferencesandsurviveinahostile,alienland.These
arealsowhatenabledJanetobreakfreeoftheconstraintsputonbyherstrictHindu
upbringing.

Witheachidentity,comesrebirth,andLeardswritingclearlyshowstheeffectofthese
adaptedbeliefsandlifestyles.ItgivesinsightonJasminesemotionsasshegrew,and
howthoseevolvingidentitieswerethereasonsheabletoadapt.Withthisknowledge,the
protagonist,eachandeveryoneofthem,andherchoicesbecomesmoreunderstandable.

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CulturalConstraints
Mathur,Suchitra."BharatiMukherjee:Overview."
FeministWriters
.Ed.PamelaKesterShelton.
Detroit:St.JamesPress,1996.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.Web.25Oct.2015.

SuchitraMathuraccuratelyportraysMukherjeesstyleofwritingasimmigrantculture
whichmorespecificallybecomesfindingthecorrectbalancebetweenoldandnew
culturesorbeliefs.MukherjeeherselfwasanimmigrantfromIndia,andtheinfluences
fromherownordealsinhernovelsisunmistakeablesheunderstoodthedailystruggles
ofbeingtornbetweentheAmericanandHindulifestyles.Theundertoneofherown
encountersisevidentthroughoutherwriting,accuratelydescribingthehopefuldreams
newimmigrantshave,andhowquicklythosedreamscanshatter.

Havinghadtheseexperiences,MukherjeeseyeswereopenedtothefactthatAmerica
wasnotexactlythemagicalplacesheonceheldittobemakingherwritingasrealistic
asherpersonalordeals.Thisprevented
Jasmine
fromportrayingAmericaasthelandof
possibilitiesthatMukherjeehadfalselyenvisioned.Mathurevengoesasfartosaythat
theconstantviolencefoundinMukherjeesliteraryworksmaybesymbolictothis
divisionofculture,representingtheemotionsthateachimmigrantregularlybattleswith.

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TheMindofMukherjee
Mukherjee,Bharati,andBeverleyByersPevitts."AnInterviewwithBharatiMukherjee."
SpeakingoftheShortStory:InterviewswithContemporaryWriters
.UniversityPress
ofMississippi,1997.189198.Rpt.in
ShortStoryCriticism
.Ed.AnjaBarnard.Vol.
38.Detroit:Gale,2000.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.Web.2Nov.2015.

BeverleyByersPevittsemphasizesMukherjeessubtlyplacedpersonalexperiences
foundineachofhernovels.Mukherjeeconsiderseachandeveryoneofhernovels
tobeautobiographicalthougheachstorydifferentfromthelastbecauseallof
themareheavilyinfluencedbysituationsandideasthatareofvaluetoMukherjee.
Herwriting,whichoftenincludedasheerwallofmetaphorinordertocloakthe
truemeaning,hasevolvedfromthedistantthirdpersontoapassionatefirstperson.

ThesefactorsmakeMukherjeesnovel,
Jasmine
,moreunderstandableandrealistic.
Bytearingdownthewallbetweenthereaderandherself,Mukherjeeallowsherself
toputpiecesofherownlifeintoeachofherfictions,makingthenovelallthemore
realistic.Hershifttofirstpersonallowsmoreemotionstorunthroughoutthenovel,
emphasizingthecharactersandsituations.

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CulturalShock
Rajeswari,P.,andK.Balamurugan."Culturalshock:amajorissueinBharatiMukherjee's
novels."
LanguageInIndia
Nov.2014:259+.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.Web.8Nov.
2015.

ThisarticlegivesmoreinsighttotherestraintsandculturalshockeachIndianwomanstill
feelsfromherreligiononcesheleaveshernativeland.Itoutlinesthecausesandeffects
oftheserestraintswhileimmigrating,andevengoesasfartosaythatwomancannot
escapethem.Indianwomenarebroughtupwithstrictreligions,andoncetheytravel
abroadtheymustadapttowesternnationwhichcausesintensementalandphysical
misery.

RajeswariandBalamurugancarefullystudythedifferenttypesofcultureshockeachof
Mukherjee'scharactersgothrough.Jasmine,theonlysuccessfulcharactertoadaptin
America,managedtoevolvethroughhermanyidentities.Theyexplainthatthis
transformation,hernewfoundidentities,andtheabilitytobreakfromtherestraintsputon
herfromherculturearewhatallowedhertobloomintheunknownland.

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WomensChallenges
Udas,Sumnima."ChallengesofBeingaWomaninIndiaCNN.com."
CNN
.CableNews
Network,12Jan.2013.Web.08Nov.2015.

UdasstudiesthehorrifyingfactsaboutwomeninsmallvillagesinIndia,andthe
brutalitiesthattheyhavesufferedfromtheirgender.Heexplainsthatwomenare
pressuredtoabortorkilltheirdaughters,andwhentheydosurvive,womenareforced
intomarriageatanagewheretheycannotevenbegintounderstandwhatishappening.
Notonlythat,buttheyarerapedconstantly,andreceivenorights.

ThisarticlehelpsunderstandstheemotionsJasminefeelsmoreclearly.Shewas
pressuredintomarriageearlyinherteenageyears,hadlittlerespectfromfamilyand
peers,andrapedonceshearrivedtoAmerica.Italsohelpsexplainherdesireforanew
identity,andtoleaveherreligionbehindinordertopursueanewlife.