The Leftover Woman

Jasmine is a Chinese woman who immigrated to the United States after finding out that her husband secretly stole their baby daughter and placed her up for adoption. She is a complex character and one of the novel’s two protagonists and narrators. She is initially characterized through the depiction of her early life and marriage in China. Jasmine, like many other girls, is valued primarily for her appearance and ability to bear children. She is aware of Chinese culture’s sexism and even as a young girl bristles against the inequality that characterizes her family life and her marriage. Jasmine’s desire for autonomy and self-determination drives her to move to the United States after she finds out that her daughter was adopted by an American family, and she is meant to embody the strength and resilience of Chinese American immigrants.

Jasmine loves her daughter deeply, even though they were separated just after birth. She notes that in her daughter’s absence, she moves through her life like “a spirit trying to recover something” (59). She does not feel whole without her child and does everything in her power to ensure that they will be reunited. As “Lucy,” her daughter’s nanny, she is both devoted and loving.