Jasmine

Jasmine’s names throughout the novel represent her character and circumstances in each episode. Jyoti means “light” or “radiance,” a reflection of the bright-minded girl who defies the fate predicted by the astrologer.

Jane, the name given to her by Bud, is a plain, American name, but Bud uses it in reference to Calamity Jane, a courageous troublemaker. Jasmine, meanwhile, connects it to the Charlotte Bronte’s heroine Jane Eyre, who nurses her much older husband, Mr. Rochester. Both comparisons stray from the mark: Jasmine is not a freewheeling outlaw, nor does she have the kind of ever-burning passion for Bud that Jane Eyre felt.

Jasmine, the name Prakash gave her seems most appropriate, so it is important at the end of the novel, Taylor no longer calls her by the nickname “Jase,” but instead addresses her as Jasmine. He acknowledges that he is willing to accept Jasmine for who she is, not what he wants her to be. Jasmine is a climbing, flowering vine, and that constant movement upwards symbolizes Jasmine’s personal growth throughout the book.

Jasmine is referred to often as a force of nature, a tornado, whose role in the novel is to “leave a path of destruction” (182).