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Analysis Of Home By Audre Lorde

Decent Essays

In the prologue, Audre describes her “home” as being a place that could only be from a fairy tale (enchanted even). This home is somewhere Lorde never visited or never observed. She only knows this extraordinary place through her mother’s stories. As Audre grows older, “home” is something she does not have in life. She even expresses that the extraordinary place (Carriacou) from her mother’s stories in no longer the home, she longed for it to be (Zami 256). Even though her home was in Harlem, New York, Stamford, and Cuernavaca, they never felt like home. Throughout the novel, it appears that Carriacou helped Audre deal with the racist society. She finally accepts her character in society as a black lesbian. She in time grows to admit that …show more content…

Women are seen simply as mothers and housekeepers. It is very clear that Audre’s family does not agree with societal standards and they are shunned because of their disagreement. During the novel, one incident in Chapter 25 really explained how black homosexual women were treated in America. In this chapter, Audre’s roommate Rhea leaves New York, without a word to Audre. She moves to Chicago and receives a new job. Later on, Audre discovers the reason why Rhea left. Rhea left Audre, New York, and her work because she was reported to be living in a house with a black homosexual. It's heartbreaking to know that a woman must leave everything behind when her sexuality is unveiled. The incident stresses that women must have a sexual relationship with just men. It also shows the reader how racism and homosexuality are seen in America.

The major theme of the novel is lesbianism. Audre’s lesbianism appears to come from her love for mother and her enticement she has towards her mother’s feminine strength. Audre also states in the novel that she often dreamed of touching her mother and her mother touching her in a sexual way. Audre’s lesbianism plays out in many other ways as well. However, she cannot express her sexuality and therefore she is left feeling alone. Lesbianism is not simply about the connection to womanhood, but about Audre’s estrangement from others in society. I do not agree that being a lesbian comes from loving your

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