According to thefreedictionary.com, “dharma” represents, “the principle or law that orders the universe” and “the essential function or nature of a thing” (AHD). Dharma is what governs the Hindu religion. Hindus in India rely on this belief for their social structure, political agendas, and relationships. It is dharma that determines the way in which women in a Hindu society are allowed to conduct themselves. Hindu women are seen as “hierarchically inferior to men” and “entirely subservient to men” (patheos 1). This cultural view of women translates into what women are allowed to do, wear, and act within society. While this may be true of mortal women in the Hindu community, the same does not apply for Hindu goddesses. Hindu goddesses are viewed as powerful, and “cannot be controlled by any male god” (patheos 1). These goddesses are important for the Hindu culture in that they restore order, defeat evil nemeses, and are more powerful that any other god. While the two roles of women as goddesses and mortals are not parallel, the belief that women are complex and do have important roles in society does exist. The main role for mortal women in a Hindu society is based on love, wealth, righteousness, and salvation but only within the limits of dharma (patheos 1).
As a Hindu, Jasmine is expected by her society to marry young, bare children, support her husband’s endeavors, be modest, keep house, have a servant mentality, and be true to her Hindu religion. All of which she does to the best of her ability while she is in India. But after her world is turned upside down by her husband’s death, Jasmine decides to travel to America in order to honor her husband’s death. In America, everything she has been taught to practice in her Hindu culture is challenged and slowly her own ideals about a woman’s place in society change. She is introduced to immodesty in New York when she sees naked girls with men in their rooms through the tall windows of Taylor’s apartment and states, “truly there was no concept of shame in this society” (Mukherjee 171). The longer she is in America her ideas of being subservient begin to change as well. It is in America that she first begins to make decisions for herself. Such as her move to Iowa in order to escape the danger she feels in New York, she says, “In my life, I have never dithered. God’s plans have always seemed clearly laid out. I said to him, ‘I’m going to Iowa’” ( Mukherjee 189). This decision was made for her benefit alone, not to please a deceased husband or to comply with the social norms India had expected of her. She also changes her view of individuality. In her Indian village a man once predicted her future, telling Jasmine that she would live a life of unhappiness. As she is in American, she realizes that she can shape her own future. She does this several times with her move to Iowa and again when she decides to leave Bud. She states, “I am caught between the promise of America and old-world dutifulness” (240). While she struggles with her cultural upbringing, wanting to do the right thing, she is conflicted with the American ideals of individualism and self-fulfillment. She chooses to leave.
The way in which America shapes Jasmine is undeniable. She respects her cultural upbringing but chooses to discard it in hopes for a better future. The book ends with Jasmine believing in hope for her future. She has done far better than the man in India predicted she would, and she aims at living a full and happy life. She looks at dharma in a new light. It may still guide her, but it does not control her. "Dharma." The Free Dictionary. Farlex. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.
Mukherjee, Bharati. Jasmine. New York: Grove, 1989. Print.
"Hinduism Gender and Sexuality." Balanced Views of Religion and Spirituality with Faith. Web. 27 Mar. 2012
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