Two or three things I know for sure

As I was reading this book, I found myself asking the question, "What is her purpose in writing an autobiography?" My answers for this question changes as I get deeper into the book and still, after finishing the book, I find this question really debatable. To begin, I thought her purpose was to prove to the readers that she found a new way of life for herself, different from her own family's and that she was not stuck in that horrible cycle like most women in her family. The women in her family were subject to abuse, mentally and probably physically, and left accepting themselves as the stereotype of "white trash." Growing up, Dorothy knew she did not want to be like her mother or her aunt, and she hated how people in her town thought so low of her as to call her a "not virgin" even at a young age. However, further into the book, as Dorothy is now grown, we see her slowly turning into her mother. Her mother and other female relatives seemed to have lost their femininity, and Dorothy seems to have done the same. One picture shows her with a "boy" haircut holding a gun, about to fire, and some could say that this shows how she strayed away from feminism, just like her mother. But once again she seems to have found her own self, when she started doing karate. She began to love her body and herself, thus again straying away from all that symbolized her mother and family. What I found as a conclusion to this blog and this book, is that Dorothy Allison's purpose to writing this book is just to tell a story: her story of her own personal experiences in finding herself within all her family stereotypes and difficulties. Growing up she longed to hear more about stories of her mother, grandmother, and other family members, yet never got the full story. Now this is her own chance to tell a story and retell the stories of her family members so that her son and even others can read it and possible learn a little bit from her experiences.



Since this is the last blog for the whole class, I decided to try and be a little creative and create my own "two or three things I know for sure." So here goes, two or three things I know for sure is to always trust your first, gut instinct. Whether you are answering questions on a test, or deciding what to eat for lunch, always go with your first instinctive decision because it usually right and best fitting for you. I have found that throughout my time at Southern, I have make decisions purely on my instincts and what kind of vibes I get. If I have to question something, then I should not do it and thus, my advice like Dorothy Allison's is to be an independent thinker and follow my own instincts.