Domesticating and Reinventing Identity and Space in Bharati Mukherjee’s Jasmine

Abstract

Bharati Mukherjee’s novel, Jasmine, discusses gender discrimination and Jasmine’s docile integration into a new culture. Mukherjee expresses the unpleasant realities of the immigrant diaspora, such as identity breakdown, homelessness, and displacement. In Indian patriarchal culture, where males are the narrators and voices are heard, women are blamed for a variety of traditions and rituals. The complicated social structure controlled by Indian patriarchal society, which may also be a significant driver of her economic well-being and therefore affect identity development, is one facet of the protagonist’s experiences. This limits the protagonist’s ability to express herself freely. Jasmine, the protagonist, challenges the concept of gender and reinvents her life to become more American by attempting to adopt a new identity in America. As Jasmine embarks on a voyage of self-discovery, each change in her personality is accompanied by a new moniker that a male character gives her. This article contends that Jasmine, the primary character, depicts a strong immigrant woman who battles marginalization in India and by mainstream white American culture and is compelled to move between identities. She bravely and tenaciously searches for a new self and identity in America until she discovers a way of living that fulfils her.