Anzaluda's Loss Of Identity

Anzaluda’s mixture of Spanish and Indian culture pulls her in different directions and away from her primary culture. This metaphorical whirlwind causes a loss of identity, and it forces her assimilate to Caucasian culture in order to be accepted in society. When a person has biological parents of different races and ethnicities, that child experiences life as a racially-mixed individual. Essentially, the child is straddling the racial, cultural social and economic divide between two worlds. He or she child does not actually have a mental or sometimes physical safe space to which they can feel that they belong. Even in the company of their own “people,” these children feel a constant sense of otherness. When a person lacks a single, firmly established identity, they run the risk of becoming lost in the chasms between worlds. In a sense, this means that these people are devoid of an actual a place that they can feel strongly rooted in and call home.

“As a mestiza I have no country, my homeland cast me out; yet all countries are mine because I am every women’s sister or potential lover” (Anzaldúa 80).

Some people say that being a mestiza can be beneficial, but in reality, it can cause a tremendous amount of confusion for the person who belongs to a mix culture. In order to be able to belong to a specific group, once must often have a set identity that the group perceives as a common bonding element. When people are of mixed races it is often difficult to make friends as well, because they struggle with identifying themselves in terms of socially acceptable labels due to their multi-racial background. People usually form their own set of groups to associate with. A mixed person can often feel the stings of oppression, even from their own people. They also find categorizing themselves into a certain group to be an extremely difficult

task.
“Yes, all of you people wound us when you reject us. Rejection strips us of self-worth; our vulnerability exposes us to shame. It is our innate identity you find wanting. We are ashamed that we need your good opinion, that we need your acceptance” (Anzaldúa 88). Mestizas prefer to be identified as whites. As mixed individuals, they can claim to be either race, but the reality is that not many groups of people will accept them. Being mixed does not only mean that one possesses a mélange of cultures, but it also entails you different thoughts and understandings of the world. A person cannot say that they purely belong to only one group if they are mixed. Society will often reject the very essence of mixed individuals because of how they are portrayed in the society. It is challenging hard for people to accept just one race; therefore, mestizas are even more difficult to accept. Mestizas want to embrace their white identity due to land rights. Identifying with this aspect of their racial make-up makes life easier for them. “This land was Mexican once, was Indian always and is. And will be again” (Anzaldúa 91). They long to establish a firm footing in America, and they are learning to assimilate into the status quo.
“We can no longer blame you, nor disown the white parts, the male parts, the pathological parts, the queer parts, the vulnerable parts. Here we are weaponless with open arms, with only our magic. Let’s try it our way, the mestiza way, the chicana way, the women way” (Anzaldúa 88). In order for them to fit into the society, they intermarry with different groups. This situation actually does not work out in their favor. For example when a kid is born to a black mother and a white father, the child cannot claim just one of those races. This racial mixture does no open up new opportunities for these children. Instead, it closes doors for them because they cannot claim one race or the other. Overall, people often try to escape racial inequalities by getting married to people of different races, but the issues that they are trying to escape from only escalate.