Personal Narrative-Identif Anzaldúa's Dual Identity

The alarm clock stared me down as the time flashed like a warning signal. Each beep makes me more anxious and I kick the sheets off in a panic. Although the loss of power is not alarming, I suddenly realized how alone I now was. I could not walk down the hall and have someone to talk to. I could not wake someone up for the sake of company because no one could relate to my surroundings anymore. There was no one to wake up or stumble to in a jittery haze. I found myself more isolated through my inability to relate to those around me and having no one to come to as a safety net anymore. Without the human connections I was accustomed to I felt stuck and detached. Squished between two groups of family and friends that couldn’t relate to me or how I was living. Although I had people in my life for support, they didn’t understand. Anzaldúa’s identity is strained in a similar manner of being caught in a trap with language and a sense of community. Constantly catering to those around her without support from either side aided the development of a dual identity leaving Anzaldúa feeling incomplete until she can comfortably

Anzaldúa explains her split feelings, “for a people who cannot entirely identify with either standard...They can connect their identity to, one capable of communicating the realities and values true to themselves- a language with terms that are neither español ni inglés, but both. We speak a patois, a forked tongue, a variation of two languages” (1987, p. 2948). The imagery of the forked tongue, like a serpent, has a negative connotation and could be linked to the serpent or the devil from the Garden of Eden. This idea further develops the negativity surrounding Anzaldúa’s split identity. Ultimately, Anzaldúa is left with these feelings of inadequacy as a result of feeling like an outsider everywhere she goes despite being able to relate to both