Identity In Silver Sparrow

The novel Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones unveils a breathtaking story about a man’s deception, a family’s complicity, and the two teenage girls caught in the middle. Dana is the secret daughter while Chaurisse is the legitimate daughter. The novel presents a wide variety of instances where intersections between gender, race, or class influence a character’s life. This novel shows how the identity of people change through the course of life and how it affects their interaction with other people in life. Dana is the daughter of James Wtherspoon and Gwendolyn. As Dana grows older, intersections between gender, race, or class cause her identity to change over time and this affects her relationship with her father ,her paternal …show more content…
“Dana, you are the one who’s a secret” James said to Dana (9). This episode really hurt Dana’s feelings. James never gave Dana the fatherly attention she deserved as a growing child. This caused her to be friends with Ronalda who introduced her to alcohol and drugs. Moreover, James declaration that Dana was a secret made her not to care about the fact that she was in a secret relationship with her boyfriend Marcus. James neglected his role as a father to Dana and this made him always treat her like she was second place in everything. Because of the way James treated Dana, she was scared that James would be displeased when she eventually made friends with Chaurisse . A father is supposed to be an understanding, caring and loving figure in the life of a daughter, even if he has two families. James was being unfair to Dana by blaming her for everything that happened to him in the end. The act of pushing Dana to the ground by James was unbecoming of a father. James ignorance of his fatherly role really affected Dana’s character and life. Every girl deserves to be treated like a queen by a loving, caring and affectionate …show more content…
Dana’s life portrayed various characteristics in different situations which she faced. She was strong and tried to make things work out irrespective of the complicated family life that existed between her, Gwendolyn, Laverne, Chaurisse and James. Dana was a victim of circumstance who tries to make her life worth living by virtue of a strong will and purpose. The intricacies of a complex family life dealt a blow on Dana’s character and viewpoints in her formative years but a strong desire for something better helped her reshape her destiny into a life more worthwhile in her later