Lorde captures the essence of home in the first few chapters of “Zami: A New Spelling of My Name”. There are a multitude of themes and hidden gems covered in this book. Lorde’s mother and her correlation to home were one of the most consistent themes thus far, and all of the minor symbols such as fruit, cultural differences and overall connection helped tie in and support this theme. For this blogpost, we’ll focus on Linda, Lorde’s mother, and how she stays rooted to home… as well as some research about limes and their hidden meaning.
As Lorde skips around in Zami, it seems as though home – and the idea of home – is a way of grounding. The text is a little flighty but it’s crafted with intention. The memories feel almost dream-like which tie in to Linda’s longing for Grenada. She incorporates sprinkles and disperses of scents and memories throughout her writing as a way to bring us back to the text, to the now, wherever and whenever that is. I was having a hard time decoding the book and figuring out the direction for where this text is going to go. It felt like Lorde was going on tangents at times but each paragraph serves a purpose, and after re-reading, it felt like she was using scents, tastes and connections to Grenada to emphasize home and the power of our roots (and, for the purpose of this blogpost, bringing empowerment to Linda).
Lorde makes it very clear that her mother is strong and has found empowerment through home by addressing this in the first paragraph: “When I visited Grenada I saw the root of my mother’s powers walking through the streets” (9). When using the word root, the first thing that pops into my head is the idea of a tree. In this case, she is rooted to Grenada and her “family tree” is there. The essence of home and Linda have become a powerful duo and it’s something very clear to Lorde. “Little secret sparks of it were kept alive for years by my mother’s search for tropical fruits “under the bridge,” and her burning of kerosene lamps, by her treadle-machine and her fried bananas and her love of fish and the sea. Trapped. There was so little she really knew about the stranger’s country” (10). This quote holds a lot of importance in the way Lorde describes her mother. As readers, we quickly learn how her mother lived and what it was that kept her pushing through. This idea of “returning home” and sticking to her roots was what allowed her to persevere through difficult times, such as working twelve hours a day or finding the right way to protect her children from racism (i.e.- the lie regarding people spitting on her children). Home was what kept Linda strong. It was a way for her to be proud of her identity: “she knew how to make virtues out of necessities” and “she knew about food” and how songs were made about every matter back in Grenada (11). She was able to find peace while in Harlem – usually by water – and would reminisce and share stories with Lorde about home: “Whenever we were close to water, my mother grew quiet and soft and absent-minded. Then she would tell us wonderful stories about Noel’s Hill in Grenville, Grenada, which overlooked the Caribbean” (13). This demonstrates the idea of home bringing Linda back to herself, and how even the idea of home or every-day occurrences that she associated with home would help center her and bring her back to her essence.
It’s clear that the idea of home is a strong part of Linda’s identity and a way for her to remember her worth as a woman. Home is a constant reminder for her to continue. To tie in the correlation of limes and Linda, I looked up their symbolism. I was reluctant because there doesn’t have to be symbolism behind something that just “is” (I looked it up anyway). A Google search supported the fact that limes are in fact a signature scent of Grenada and the fragrance of limes can be smelled from hundreds of yards away. With that being said, it makes sense as to why Lorde would bring up limes and their scent a few times, however it’s scattered throughout the text, and I was unsure as to why due to its distraction.
Lime trees are a symbol for love, fidelity and justice. These three words sum up how Lorde speaks of her mother and her relationship with Grenada. Fidelity, according to the dictionary, is defined as “faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support”. It is also defined as the “sexual faithfulness to a spouse or partner” (we’ll disregard that part for now) and “the degree of exactness with which something is copied or reproduced” (New Oxford American Dictionary). It is clear that Linda is full of love when speaking of home. She feels it and applies it to her everyday life and to her self in order to make peace with not returning home. Linda applies her knowledge and identity from Grenada to her everyday life because of her inability to return home, therefore eluding to the idea of justice. And then there’s that idea of fidelity. After reading the definition and applying it to Zami, it’s clear that the limes served even more of a purpose than coincidence and fact in the text. Limes were mentioned several times in Zami so far, and in doing so, it serves as a reminder for the loyalty and support of home and how much it means to Linda.
“It was so often her approach to the world; to change reality. If you can’t change reality, change your perceptions of it” (18). So overall, the tone of Zami so far feels distant and grounded at the same time. Our minds are somewhere else – in Grenada, where Linda’s mind is at – yet we are continuously brought back to Harlem and Lorde’s recollection and attribute to Linda’s strength as a woman in her life. The nostalgia in Zami is powerful and has made this feel like a twist on perception and reality. I’m looking forward to facilitating the first part of Zami, and I’m even more excited to see where the book will bring us. Thank you for reading all the way through!
QUESTION 1:
A common theme that we’ve been discussing in class relates to feminine empowerment, rising up and using our voices. Lorde mentions how her father felt about home: “But there was no call for this knowledge now; and her husband Byron did not like to talk about home because it made him sad, and weakened his resolve to make a kingdom for himself in this new world” (12). Do you think that home helped keep Linda true to her identity, or do you feel that it held her back in some ways? Do you think their coping mechanisms with missing a place is due to their gender differences and the roles they play at home/in Grenada/in the city?
QUESTION 2:
The way she is able to tie in the relationship her mother had with Grenada and what the place means to her has reflected through her writing method: she goes on a few tangents and memories are what ground and center her back to the main story or theme of home. Was there other imagery that caught your eye and caused you to do further research (think scents, food symbolism, music, cultural differences, etc.)?
Works Cited:
Lorde, Audre. Zami: A New Spelling of My Name. New York, Crossing Press, 1982.
New Oxford American Dictionary (website).
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