A Name Change Represents a Change in Life

In the beginning of a person’s life a name is handed to them.  I’d say about half the time, it is a name that they don’t like.  I remember growing up wanting a new name, but that never happened.  Some people go to the extent of actually changing their name or just going by a different one, because the one they have just doesn’t fit them right.  Truthfully I don’t feel that my first name (Aaron) fits me very well, so I normally go by my last name (Cherry) mostly because I just like that name more.  One of my best friends doesn’t like his first name so he just goes by his middle name.  Then there are people who change their last name when they get married.  Anytime someone changes their name, it can represent a new phase in their life.  In the story Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee the main character goes through many name changes. 

To start it off we are introduced to the main character as Jyoti.  This character seems to be alright with the way that her life is going, but after her husband is murdered things start to change.  She is unhappy of where she is at, and seeks change in her life.  She now becomes known by the name Jasmine.  Jasmine is now going through a change.  She isn’t exactly the mellow girl that she used to be, she now is more into finding who she really is.  Changing her name to Jasmine is the beginning of finding exactly who she is. 

While Jasmine is out to find who she is, she decides that she needs to go to the United States.  While on the boat over, she is raped by the captain of the ship.  She ends up slitting his throat and killing him.  Having to kill someone on the first day of going to the United States seems to spark another change, and now Jasmine becomes known by Jase. 

Jase is living in New York, but when she wants to calm down her life somewhat she decides to take off to Iowa.  When in Iowa she changes her name to Jane.  To me Jane just seems like a name of someone who is more calm about the way she goes about life.  And calm is what Jane does become.  It is normal that a person going from New York to Iowa will calm down, and Jane did this and it seems as if she will be staying this way. 

A name change represents a change in life.  The person is usually unhappy with what they have so by changing their name, that is one way to make them happier.  For Jyoti, there were a few name changes on the way to finding herself in the name Jane.  But all these names were needed to help find who she actually is.  Once she found that in Jane, it seems that she has become happy and probably will only be known as Jane from then on.