Can You Be Yourself in Different Environments?

We are all exposed to many different environments throughout our lives. Whether it be with your best friends, at your parents' dinner party, at summer camp, or alone in your room; your surroundings are always changing. What intrigues me about this, though, is the question of whether or not you stay the same person in every environment you are in? I truly believe that you ultimately stay the same person, but due to who you are with and the type of people you are interacting with, your behavior can definitely change. To provide quite an obvious example, you act differently around your friends than you would around the friends of your parents. You know what is appropriate around adults, and therefore you probably wouldn't be seen in hysterics over a silly joke. But with your friends, you would probably laugh about the silliest things. And thats how it should be. You should be able to act weird or make immature jokes around your friends. I realize that behavior changes according to the age of people that you are with, but I have also realized that behavior can change with respect to the place you are in. The more comfortable you feel, the more yourself you can be. 

In the novel Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee, the main character goes on a journey throughout America, in which her environment is constantly changing. But does her identity change for each surrounding she is in? Mukherjee explores the theme of identity through Jasmine's changing names and husband. "I have had a husband for each of the women I have been. Prakash for Jasmine, Taylor for Jase, Bud for Jane. Half-Face or Kali" (197). Whether it be Jasmine, Jase, or Jane, you would think that the main character changes identity every time she moves. But, in my opinion, she brings her true identity with her along the entire journey. The one aspect that I found to shine through in every situation was her generosity and desire to be a caretaker for someone. With Prakash, she tries her best to be a good wife, with Taylor, she takes care of Duff and helps mend his broken heart, and finally with Bud, she is his full time caretaker due to his situation. Not only this, but I feel that Jasmine always has a trace of old traditions from her culture in India with her. Although some of the people she encounters in America may not agree with those traditions, she accepts their opinions, but doesn't change hers. When talking about Bud, Mukherjee writes: "He's always uneasy with tales of Hasnapur, just like Mother Ripplemeyer. It's as though Hasnapur is an old husband or lover. Even memories are a sign of disloyalty" (231). With Du, Jane has an understanding with him that she doesn't have with anyone else. They are both from similar backgrounds, and they understand the old traditions and the culture that they both come from. Overall, Jasmine proves that your true identity stays with you, no matter who you are with or where you are. Behaviors may change, but nobody and no place can take your individuality away from you.