Hopeless Destruction

                “Every age, every culture, every custom and tradition has its own character, its own weakness and its own strength, its beauties and cruelties; it accepts certain sufferings as matters of course, puts up patiently with certain evils. Human life is reduced to real suffering, to hell, only when two ages, two cultures and religions overlap.”  As a young adolescent boy I faced the daily issues of race and scrutiny.  Being one of merely a dozen white kids at my middle school, surrounded by hundreds of Hispanic kids wasn’t quite the ‘good-life.’  Did I feel out of place? Maybe even an object in a bubble? Or just another young child lost in the world surrounded by strange faces?  Who really knows, because I didn’t?!  Growing up in America we are taught at an early age that diversity is quite surreal.  Traditions are a cultural perspective of what they believe is right in there lives.  Is my culture perfect? I can speak for all and say not even close.  This is where I begin to indulge in that fact that every culture is different and being an ‘inferior’, ‘unfit’, and ‘incapable’ to a culture is in fact life for some people.

                In the Novel, written by Bharati Mukherjee, Jasmine faces the lifestyle where she is to become an inferior to her society.  She will have no say in any matter and will become a slave to her own people.  Does she believe this is her calling or will she leave this mess and find redemption on them all?  “If the American dream is for Americans only, it will remain our dream and never be our destiny.”  Jasmine is a strong capable woman that looks upon this quote as ‘fuel for the fire,’ she seeks the American dream of freedom, to be all she can be and more as well as having hope;  She never wants to give up and be ashamed of herself.  She believes that the only way to succeed and conquer is to fight the battle full force. 

                “You have to do it yourself; no one else will do it for you. You must work out your own salvation.”  Does Jasmine believe that independence is something that someone must seek to become a person in this world?  I believe this question ties into the idea that Jasmine portrays when she begins to talk with Du Du and find out he’s a useless items freak.  He can’t let go of the past so he keeps all he has and basically lives in chaos.  Jasmine finds old batteries, brand new shirts still not opened, old coffee mugs, and much more that depict the person she never wants to be.  She believes he is living in the past and the future is where he should be.  He believes the more you have the better off you will be, materialistic you might say.

                “Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.”  I look at this quote and what I see is a vivid picture of Jasmine.  She is a self determined woman that knows what she wants and will not throw in the towel until her job is triumphant.  In those terms, Jasmine was in search of the freedom and power of her own self.  At the end of the novel, Jasmine states that she is basically ahead of the game fighting the obstacles in her path yet knowing that there is nothing in the world that will stop her determined self from her wants and hopes.

                I believe the ending of the book is quite a masterpiece.  Like it states, more than none, getting what oneself wants doesn’t come served on a silver platter but instead comes with obstacles to hurdle.  And when you beat those obstacles you know you deserve what you got and the true meaning of happiness can shine on you.  My own life goals may seem quite impossible to others, but I look at the word ‘impossible’ and think to myself there is nothing that can stop me from my goals except myself.  People, it is time to stand up for what you believe, go be that doctor, cop, chaplain, rodeo cowboy, or whatever you please to be but remember if you leave the fight too early you will never know what could have been.  Look at Jasmine for motivation, the time is now, not yesterday or tomorrow, live your life as it occurs, there is no such thing as impossible.