Bharati Mukherjee

A detailed Summary of Bharati Mukherjee

Bharati Mukherjee was born on July 27, 1940 in Calcutta, India. (Pradhan ) She was born into a wealthy family, which assisted her in her dream of becoming a writer. She lived in India, Europe, the United States, and Canada. Migrating to these countries that are so different from her place of birth enabled her to write very powerful novels on immigrant experiences. Mukherjee's novels focus on exploring the migration and the feeling of alienation that is experienced by these immigrants. (Pradhan) Her works have explored such themes as isolation, sexism, discrimination, the mistreatment of Indian women, and exploring identities.

In Bharati Mukherjee's novel Jasmine, the character shows some similarities to the author, but there are many differences. Both were born in India, but Jasmine was not born into wealth. Jasmine does not have the same resources as Bharati, so it is harder for her to leave her home and to migrate to the United States. One of the similarities between Jasmine and the author is their drive to go after what they want and to not stop until they get it. Bharati's drive is to become a writer, and Jasmine's is to go to the United States. Another similarity is their struggle to find their identity when they migrate to

While in America, Jasmine is at times a struggling victim. When she first arrives, she is brutally raped by a man that she had no choice but to trust. She takes matters into her own hands and murders him. At this point, she may be a victim, but she is not willing to allow anybody to stand in her way of her purpose. She gets shipped from household to household, usually being forced into being a caregiver. Although she did not seem to mind this, she still did not have much of a choice. It does not seem as though Jasmine sees herself as a victim, but she knows that there is something better out there.

Early on in Jasmine's life, it is apparent that she is a fighter. The first incident occurred during the ladies' daily ritual of going to the bathroom in the fields. When Jasmine hears a growl, she thinks to herself "let it come, I had the staff." When the doglike creature jumps out at the women, they begin to scream and scamper about. It is Jasmine who stands up to the creature with her staff. This is just the first incident in which Jasmine proves to be a fighter.

The novel then goes backward into time to explore Jasmine's earlier years. These years were filled with poverty, violence, and even death. Although Jasmine does not have a very good life, she does not seem to mind perhaps because it is all that she knows. She does take an early interest in learning English. This may be evidence that she did desire a better or perhaps different life.

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Approximate Word count = 980
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: People