Bharati Mukherjee’s novel Jasmine is a story of an Indian woman, beginning with her birth and early life in a little town in India, over the emigration to the USA and finally to herself and what it means to become an American. The eponymous narrator in Jasmine, also known as Jyoti, Jase or Jane, passes through one situation and country to another and so is her inner self reborn several times towards a higher level, until she finally seems to have found a place to rest.
Throughout the novel, Jasmine experiences numerous situations that bring violence with them. She is not always the subject of these situations, but they are always connected with her. It is not only physical violence experienced, but also mental violence that influences Jasmines further way of life and forces her to be reborn as a different person. The rough pictures that Mukherjee draws of violent moments reflect the psychological pain that comes with the changes of culture and life that Jasmine experiences. The paper will deal with these moments and analyze them according to their meaning for Jasmine.
Table of Contents
- Introduction to the Novel and the Topic
- Violence in Bharati Mukherjee's Jasmine
- Violence as a Deconstruction of the Idyll
- Works Cited
Objectives and Key Themes
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of violence in Bharati Mukherjee's novel "Jasmine", examining how it affects the protagonist's transformation and understanding of identity. This paper aims to uncover how violence contributes to Jasmine's personal rebirth and her experience of becoming an American.
- Violence as a catalyst for personal transformation
- The intersection of violence and cultural transition
- The impact of violence on Jasmine's perception of America
- The role of violence in deconstructing idealized notions of America
- The significance of Jasmine's multiple identities and rebirths
Chapter Summaries
The first chapter, "Introduction to the Novel and the Topic", provides an overview of the novel's plot and the central themes explored. It introduces Jasmine, an Indian woman navigating a complex journey of immigration, identity, and self-discovery in America. The chapter also highlights the pervasive nature of violence in her life, both physical and mental, as a recurring element shaping her experiences.
The second chapter, "Violence in Bharati Mukherjee's Jasmine", examines specific instances of violence that Jasmine encounters throughout her life. From her early childhood experiences in India to her encounters with violence in America, the chapter traces how each act of violence leaves an indelible mark on Jasmine's psyche and contributes to her transformation.
The third chapter, "Violence as a Deconstruction of the Idyll", delves into the deeper implications of violence in the novel. It explores how violence serves to dismantle idealized notions of America and exposes the harsh realities faced by immigrants. The chapter draws connections between violence and the dehumanization experienced by marginalized individuals, particularly women.
Keywords
The central keywords and focus topics of this paper include: violence, identity, immigration, cultural transition, personal transformation, deconstruction of the American Dream, South-Asian American literature, fragmented autobiography, and the role of violence in shaping individual experiences.
- Quote paper
- Jennifer Koss (Author), 2007, Violence and Rebirth - Bharati Mukherjee’s Jasmine. An Analysis, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/148934
