identity crisis

Identity, from Latin identitas (“sameness”), can be defined and understood in multiple ways in different contexts. However, regardless of the definition used, the general concept of identity always concerns a relation or relative state between things or people. This holds true in different contexts where the term “identity” is used as well: mathematics, philosophy, psychology, etc. The existential nature of defining identity may lead to many issues in the perception of oneself and of others as the relative properties of identity are always changing and shifting – an identity crisis. It is this exact property of identity that Rebecca Walker chronicles in her memoir Black, White, and Jewish; and more importantly, her own methods of dealing with and understanding her own identity crisis. It is also this exact property of identity that brings about unique criticisms motivated by the critic’s own perceptions of identity and psychological biases. Though perfectly valid, some of these criticisms tend to highlight the critic’s own biases and preconceptions instead of analyzing the merits and faults of Walker’s work.

Throughout Walker’s memoir, she writes of her experiences growing up in different worlds and her ability to assimilate into the culture of her surroundings. These episodic recollections of events paint a varied and sometimes disjointed picture of Walker in the mind of the reader precisely due to Walker’s shifting identity. Though arguably a necessary survival tactic, Walker all but brags of her chameleon-like abilities as a multiethnic female. Although criticisms exist regarding this, Walker’s memoir should be read and considered in its entirety in order to fully understand the implications of her experiences on her own notio...

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...xactly what she says she will: an autobiography of a shifting self.

Not all criticisms are wholly negative of Walker, however. In a review on Examiner.com, Sarah Phillips mentions that Walker’s failure to narrow the distance between herself and readers instead forces the reader to remember that her experiences are her own. Phillips also accurately addresses the concerns of many minorities regarding Walker in that throughout the memoir, there is no acknowledgement of a “collective voice” (Phillips 2010). This criticism mirrors Joseph’s analysis, bur does not castigate Walker for her inaction in the Civil Rights Movement, despite being a multiethnic female with much at stake. Phillips ends her review with a precaution to potential readers that much of the work may be lost to the reader unless he or she is aware of the contributions of author’s mother, Alice Walker.