Being an Outsider

Audre Lorde was an outsider in more ways than one in the society she was living in and chose to write about. From the time she was four, her characteristics and outer appearances held qualities which enhanced this outsider status. I feel she relished the fact that she was an outsider and was able to write on it, including being able to edit her story to make her appear stronger and wiser for having played this crucial role in society. There are minor and major factors that lead Lorde to view herself as an outsider.
One of the minor factors in Lorde’s life that show her outsider status is her family. Lorde knows that she is very different from those around her when looking at her family. She sees the color of the skins of her mother, father, and sisters, as well as her own color and notices right away that her mother could pass for a white woman. Even though Lorde never fully understands why her mother was so hard on her, I feel that this was one of the main contributors to...