Pet Names-Cranberry

Everyone acquires nicknames.  You can’t give yourself a pet name; they are generally acquired through social interactions.  I’ve had a number of different nicknames over the years.  I’ve been called Krissy, Kris, Xtina, Sweets, and my least favorite, Cranberry.  Not that Cranberry is a terrible pet name, however the back-story was quite embarrassing.  So, whenever I was introduced to new people as Cranberry, I was always asked how and why.  Separate people gave each of these nicknames to me.  They represent who I am to that person, besides for seemingly creating a different persona.

Bharati Mukherjee explores varying identities through her main character Jasmine, in her book Jasmine.  Jasmine transforms herself to fit with each name she invokes throughout the story.  Jyoti.  Jasmine. Jazzy.  Kali.  Jase.  Jane.  Gold Digger.  Wife. 

Jyoti wasn’t a nickname; instead it was her name throughout childhood and early adolescence.  Jyoti was replaced the name Jasmine.  Her husband gave Jasmine to her.  He wanted to give her a more liberal perspective instead of being stereotypically submissive as custom within Indian culture.  After her husband died, she traveled to the United States.  It was there that she becomes Jase.  Jase was the creation of Taylor, her boss/friend/lover.  Jase progressively became more American and independent.  She became Jane because of her lover Bud.  He wanted her to be more American and she couldn’t talk about her difficult past lives.  She was exotic, yet ordinary.  She felt obligated to be with him. Bud’s former wife named Jasmine a Gold Digger.  The name was unnecessary considering money had nothing to do with it.

All of these names were gifted to Jasmine from other people.  She became the people they created for her.  Except for Kali.  Kali was incarnated by Jasmine. Kali was a coping method from a traumatic experience.  While invoking Kali, Jasmine, killed her rapist, a man named Half Face.   

These various identities make up each section of Jasmine’s life.  For each pet name, she was a different person, but part of herself jut like I’m still Cranberry.