Who wants to go Floating?

    On some hot summer days I go to the river, get a raft, and float down the river. Relaxing and letting the river decide my way, I take in the view of everything around me. Floating down the river is something that everyone needs to experience once in a lifetime. Though it is very relaxing, the river can lead you astray. Pushing you into shallow waters, bushes, logs, rocks, and rapids are just some of the obstacles that the river pushes you into. These things could have been avoided if you would have been in control and made the choice for yourself on which way you should have gone.

    Now, imagine the river as all your friends and family. You go through your life allowing them to make all your choices. Sometimes they will take you to the right way, but other times they lead you into trouble. You float through your life with no control. Why would someone go floating through life? Easy, you get everything chosen for you and if anything goes wrong, you can blame them for your misfortune. Just like myself and the river, it is easy to just allow people take you along the river of life and you get to be there for a while.

    In Jasmine, by Bharati Mukherjee, the main character (Jane, Jasmine, or Jyoti) is a person that I would like to call a floater, or someone that takes a passive approach on life. Throughout the book there are many examples of her doing things that she would not like to do if she was not floating through life. In the beginning of the novel, an astrologer tells Jane her fate. She wants to disbelieve and stop this from happing but all she says is “I know what I don't want to become,” to fight off this fate that has been put on her. Even if you know what you don't want to become, if you are not in charge of your life you have no way of stopping it from happening.

    This is exactly what happens, Jane lets things happen that she is not pleased with but keeps doing them. Sex is one of these things she does for her husband, Bud. She takes on all these roles that she never had to do before he was shot and paralyzed for him, not for herself. Jane makes it seem as though it is a choir which, “I (Jane) will do.” Floating down the river of life, Jane tricks her self into not minding doing “all the playing, providing the the surprises” to arouse her partner. I get the feeling that she stays with Bud not because she loves him, but because she feels bad about his paralysis.

    Jane was not always known as Jane in the book. Time in this book is interwoven to all points in Jane's life, starting in India, New York, and Iowa. Starting in India she was raised with certain beliefs and ideals that were instilled upon her by her parents, siblings, and culture. With out a guiding her own path in life she starts to let go of some of these ideals to become other people, Jyoti to Jane. These identities that she takes on are not ones that Jane choose, she is made to act a certain way to fit into American culture. This leads to the the letting go of cultural and religious ideals, which leads to the rest going “on its own down a sinkhole.” With most of Jane's ideals gone, she is left to float in the river allowing it to take her where ever it wants.

    Jane has always had a choice, but she decides not to act on what she really wants. The feeling of remorse and guilt should not keep you back from making your own decisions, which is happening to Jane. She is allowing people to make the choices for her in her life instead of empowering herself to make the hard choice that would make herself happier.

    Many of us have been in this situation and found ourselves in Jane's predicament. Long term relationships are a great example of how people can become “floaters.” You are not happy in the relationship but still you continue to be in the relationship. Why? You love the person or you don't want to hurt their feelings. I think this sums up Jane. She is stuck in this problem that she can't make the decision to change it because she is afraid of the people it will hurt.