Jasmine

The roles we play throughout the course of our lives have an effect on the people we become, or are continually becoming. Describe how Jasmine’s roles in the novel affirm this concept.

At times in her young life, Jasmine is pressured or forced to become a new, different woman to fit the time and place she is in. How does she respond to these pressures? Do her responses change as she grows older and experiences more adventures?

Can Jasmine be described as a successful immigrant? A willing immigrant? Why or why not?

Discuss how being torn between two worlds—the traditional Indian culture and the overwhelmingly fluid American culture—affects how Jasmine views herself and her place in her new world.

In what ways are Jasmine and Du’s immigrant experiences similar? How are they different? How do these experiences shape each of them into new Americans?

Choose three female characters from Jasmine and discuss how they are portrayed in the novel. What effect does past experiences, relationships, culture, and religion have on their development as individuals? How does feminism, or the lack thereof, shape their futures?

Does Jasmine qualify as a bildungsroman? Give specific examples from the novel to defend your response.

Compare and contrast Jasmine’s relationships with Prakash, Taylor, and Bud. What draws her to each of these men? What does she learn from them? What role do they play in shaping her destiny?