Predetermined Fate or Yourself?

          Some people believe that their lives are controlled by themselves. However, there are also many people that believe in the predetermined fate. So, do we control our life? This question has been discussed for a long time since some people believe that their fate has been already predetermined. In Bharati Mukherjee’s novel, the main character Jasmine is the one who believe that life can be controlled by self. She makes her own decisions in the novel that help shape her life and destiny.

        At the very beginning of this novel, Jasmine meets an old astrologer who tells Jasmine that she will be exiled and be a widow. She will never be able to change this because this is her life. However, Jasmine does not believe in it and she just calls this astrologer crazy. She tells him, “You don’t know what my future holds” (Mukherjee P.3) Actually, Astrology is a very big part in her village, but she refuses to believe it since she does not believe in predetermined fate. She believes that she can make her own decision for her own life.

        In our daily life, Horoscopes play an important role because there are many people who believe in it. This thing has a big effect on our life. It can even determine our marriage. Vimla, a member of Hasnapur, is set to be married to the Tractor King of the district but wait to be married. “She and her fiancé were holding off their marriage till he was twenty, because of their horoscopes” (Mukherjee P. 76). Jasmine does not believe in it. She marries to her Prakash two weeks after she meets him. After she gets married, she often thinks about the old man and the banyan. Whenever she encounters with this memory, she always asks herself if she should believe in the old fool or not. “Believe an old fool?  What does he know?  Ha!” (Mukherjee P.76) Actually, Jasmine is very proud of herself since she proves that the astrologer was wrong. She is determining her life by making her own decision.

        Jasmine was an exemplary student with great aspirations when she was a child. Her teacher, Masterji, wants her to continue her education because she can work at bank and becomes a steno. However, Jasmine’s father leaves it up and lets his daughter determine her own life. Actually, Jasmine does not want to work in bank and be a steno. She says, “I want to be a doctor and set up my own clinic in a big town” (Mukherjee P.51). Jasmine does not want to follow the traditional role in her village. She knows what she wants and she is not afraid of speaking out what she wants because she believes that her life is determined by herself.

        Throughout the first eighty pages of the novel, we can see that the main character of the story, Jasmine, does not believe in predetermined fate. She believes that her own life is controlled by herself. Even though she was told by an old astrologer that she would become a widow and be exiled, she refused to believe it. She even tries to prove that the astrology is wrong by marrying to her husband two weeks after they meet. She wants to show that her life is under her control and also she can determine her future.