I've wanted to write something about Blue Jasmine for a while, but was never sure how to put my thoughts into words — maybe it’s because for all her crazy and flaws, a part of her reminds me of my once (and perhaps still) ambitious self. The contrast between the graceful socialite and the shattered but still Chanel-wearing Jasmine is a cautionary tale. Ambition motivates us to reach higher. Pride, whether as a precondition for or byproduct of ambition, requires a stable source. For Jasmine, losing the source of her pride destorys her, yet remnants of her pride stops her from reclaiming herself.

Jasmine wasn't always elegant, but she crafts the life she wants step by step with the hope of becoming "someone substantial." When lecturing her sister on the secret to success, Jasmine says “you can’t always blame everything on your genes. If you’re prepared to work hard, and not settle…” I agree to a certain extent, but I don’t think she’s completely correct. In reality, preparing to work hard and not settle is not enough; trying is not enough; even if you put in hard work you still might not succeed. Not to sound like Oscar Wilde but everyone works hard these days. To succeed you need luck, you need acumen to capitalize on opportunities.

One of Jasmine’s problems is she overplays her own contribution in her rags-to-riches story. Anyone can reinvent themselves to be a Jasmine, but not all of them can score a partner with status or wealth — that’s her luck. As she mistakes her luck for her abilities, she forgets how fragile she actually is. When designing her persona, she only builds the walls of pride and roof of ambition, but forgets a foundation of skills and self-sufficiency. To support Jasmine’s dreams, being a beautiful fool is not enough. You need substance to be "someone substantial." In its absence, nothing can support her elegant but hollow frame.

As the story unfolds, pride is all that Jasmine has left. After losing her money, her status, her son, if she forgoes pride she will be nothing. And she can't bear being nothing. When she almost succeeds at reinvention, her pride stops her. She refuses advances by her sister’s friends as well as the dentist, who she considers to be beneath her. Has her pride not driven her to lie to the diplomat about her past, maybe that could have worked out.

There are plenty of valid criticisms of Jasmine: didn’t she ask for this? Didn’t she report her husband, and thus debased her pride in a moment’s rage? Didn't she treat her sister poorly? Yes, she did. But I still don’t want to criticize her too harshly because I see a bit of myself in her. A combination of stupidity and pride led to her downfall, and who's to say that mine won’t? Maybe until then.

I wonder, how ought I live, should I be stripped of what I pride myself on? How ought I live, should I be prideful, ambitious, but ruined at the same time? There are several things I can think of. Prevent the loss of the most intrinsic parts of my personality by grounding it in skills that I practice and hone and potentially excel in. Have a consistent mindset that self-resolves incongruencies, that weighs pride against ambitions and ability. Finally, don’t forget that “the harder working the luckier.” Putting in hard work means being better prepared for opportunities, which roughly equates to being luckier, if you can ignore my poor math.

That’s what Blue Jasmine is to me: a warning about the pursuit for something substantial. Jasmine’s ambition and unwillingness to settle defines her, but also ruins her. I don’t know whether she can reconcile wanting more and being less than more. I don't know if she will climb out of her sister’s San Francisco apartment and dentist reception desks and interior design classes. But I hope she does.