“Dusting” by Julia Alvarez: A Critical Analysis

Introduction: “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez

“Dusting” by Julia Alvarez first appeared in her 1996 poetry collection, Homecoming, explores themes of family, identity, and generational dynamics through the simple, everyday act of dusting. It portrays a young girl watching her mother dust surfaces in their home, a routine symbolizing her mother’s desire for stability, cleanliness, and tradition. In contrast, the speaker expresses her yearning to make her own mark, to leave traces of her identity on the world. This tension between erasure and self-assertion underpins the poem, making it a poignant reflection on personal autonomy within the framework of family expectations. Alvarez’s simple yet evocative language resonates with readers, as the universal experience of asserting one’s identity in the shadow of familial expectations is both relatable and compelling. The poem’s popularity stems from its ability to transform a mundane chore into a metaphor for self-discovery and cultural legacy, striking a chord with audiences who grapple with similar struggles for self-expression.

Text: “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez

Annotations: “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez

Line	Annotation	Literary Devices
Each morning I wrote my name	The speaker writes her name every morning, hinting at a desire for identity and permanence.	Imagery, Repetition
On the dusty cabinet, then crossed	Writing on the dusty surface signifies self-expression, while “crossed” implies movement or possibly defiance.	Imagery, Symbolism
The dining room table in script, scrawled	The act of writing in “script” shows a playful attempt at sophistication; “scrawled” conveys a lack of precision, perhaps reflecting youthful experimentation.	Contrast, Alliteration (script, scrawled), Imagery
In capitals on the backs of chairs,	Writing in “capitals” further emphasizes a desire for visibility and impact.	Imagery, Symbolism, Enjambment
Practicing signatures like scales	Compares practicing signatures to musical scales, suggesting repetition and learning, as well as a desire to “perfect” one’s identity.	Simile, Alliteration (signatures, scales), Metaphor
While Mother followed, squirting	The mother’s actions follow the speaker’s marks, symbolizing erasure and control, indicating generational conflict between identity and tradition.	Enjambment, Symbolism, Juxtaposition
Linseed from a burping can	“Burping can” introduces humor and personification, adding texture to the image of cleaning, while “linseed” suggests a dedication to the task of polishing and erasing.	Personification, Imagery, Onomatopoeia (burping)
Into a crumpled-up flannel.	A crumpled flannel cloth, rough and worn, suggests the habitual nature of her mother’s cleaning, hinting at her dedication and labor.	Imagery, Symbolism
She erased my fingerprints	The mother literally and metaphorically erases the speaker’s identity, as fingerprints are unique identifiers.	Symbolism, Imagery
From the bookshelf and rocker,	The act of cleaning areas associated with knowledge (bookshelf) and comfort or stability (rocker) may symbolize removing traces of independence and curiosity.	Symbolism, Enjambment, Imagery
Polished mirrors on the desk	Mirrors reflect images; polishing them could symbolize the mother’s desire to present an idealized or “clean” reflection of family and self.	Symbolism, Imagery
Scribbled with my alphabets.	The speaker’s “alphabets” scattered across the mirror suggest experimentation with identity; “scribbled” hints at an informal, playful attempt at self-definition.	Imagery, Symbolism, Alliteration
My name was swallowed in the towel	The erasure is so complete it’s as if her identity was consumed, hinting at a sense of loss or suppression.	Personification (swallowed), Symbolism
With which she jeweled the table tops.	“Jeweled” suggests an intense polishing that transforms surfaces, contrasting with the speaker’s erased identity, as if the mother’s actions add value by removing traces of self.	Imagery, Symbolism, Contrast, Irony (the value assigned to erasure)
The grain surfaced in the oak	The natural grain pattern becomes visible, symbolizing authenticity, but it is only revealed through erasure of the speaker’s marks, perhaps reflecting societal values.	Symbolism, Imagery
And the pine grew luminous.	The “pine” becoming luminous signifies that the mother’s cleaning creates a glow, symbolizing how erasure and conformity are made appealing.	Symbolism, Imagery
But I refused with every mark	The speaker resists conformity and invisibility, asserting her desire for individuality and agency through each mark.	Repetition, Contrast, Symbolism
To be like her, anonymous.	Ends on the note of resistance, emphasizing the speaker’s determination to avoid a life of obscurity and submission, as symbolized by her mother’s actions.	Symbolism, Irony, Contrast

Literary And Poetic Devices: “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez

Device	Example	Explanation
Alliteration	“Practicing signatures like scales”	The repetition of the initial “s” sound emphasizes the repetitive practice of creating identity.
Ambiguity	“Burping can”	The unusual description creates ambiguity, adding humor but also hinting at the mundane yet personal nature.
Anaphora	“Each morning I wrote my name”	The repetition of “I wrote my name” emphasizes the speaker’s determination to assert her identity.
Connotation	“Swallowed in the towel”	“Swallowed” implies erasure or engulfing, connoting the mother’s act of erasing the daughter’s individuality.
Contrast	“But I refused…To be like her, anonymous”	The speaker contrasts herself with her mother, highlighting her resistance to an anonymous life.
Enjambment	“Practicing signatures like scales / While Mother followed”	Creates a flow, connecting the speaker’s acts of self-expression with the mother’s erasure.
Hyperbole	“Jeweled the table tops”	Exaggerates the mother’s cleaning, suggesting her intense dedication to removing marks of individuality.
Imagery	“Dusty cabinet,” “backs of chairs”	Vivid descriptions evoke the setting and actions, helping readers visualize the conflict over erasure.
Irony	“Jeweled the table tops”	There is irony in polishing surfaces to the point of erasing individuality, which creates a false “perfection.”
Juxtaposition	“Mother followed, squirting” vs. “I wrote my name”	Juxtaposes the mother’s cleaning with the speaker’s writing, illustrating opposing desires.
Metaphor	“Practicing signatures like scales”	Compares writing names to playing scales, suggesting repetition and learning in the process of self-identity.
Onomatopoeia	“Burping can”	The sound of the “burping” can brings a realistic, sensory quality to the description of cleaning.
Parallelism	“From the bookshelf and rocker”	The parallel structure connects two items in the household, suggesting the mother’s extensive cleaning.
Personification	“Swallowed in the towel”	The towel is given the human trait of swallowing, intensifying the sense of erasure.
Repetition	“Each morning I wrote my name”	The repeated writing of her name underscores the speaker’s need to establish her presence and identity.
Simile	“Practicing signatures like scales”	The simile relates the act of writing to playing music scales, implying practice and refinement.
Symbolism	“Dust” and “fingerprints”	Dust symbolizes transience, while fingerprints represent individual identity and mark-making.
Tone	Determined yet reflective	The tone reflects the speaker’s determination to assert her identity amid the mother’s erasure of it.
Understatement	“Polished mirrors”	The understated action of polishing mirrors downplays the deeper significance of erasing personal marks.
Visual Imagery	“Oak and pine grew luminous”	Evokes a bright visual image, contrasting the mother’s erasure with a glow that may symbolize false “purity.”

Themes: “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez

• Identity and Self-Expression: In “Dusting,” the theme of identity is explored through the speaker’s repeated attempts to assert herself by writing her name in the dust. Each morning, she scrawls her name across household surfaces as if to leave her mark, an act that suggests a deep need for self-expression and personal visibility: “Each morning I wrote my name / On the dusty cabinet.” This repeated action symbolizes her desire to affirm her presence, despite her mother’s habitual cleaning that quickly erases these marks. The act of writing her name in various places highlights her yearning to be recognized as an individual with a unique identity that stands apart from the mundane household setting.
• Generational Conflict: The poem captures the generational conflict between the speaker and her mother, as represented by their opposing actions. While the speaker continuously writes her name, expressing her individuality, her mother erases these signs by dusting and polishing every surface. Lines like “While Mother followed, squirting / Linseed from a burping can” indicate the mother’s dedication to order and cleanliness, a symbolic erasure of the speaker’s expressions of self. This contrast reflects a common struggle between generations: the younger generation’s desire for independence and self-discovery against the older generation’s values of tradition, control, and conformity.
• Transience and Erasure: The recurring image of dust and the mother’s relentless cleaning convey the theme of transience and erasure. Dust, a substance that easily gathers and is frequently removed, represents the impermanence of the speaker’s attempts at asserting her presence. When the mother “swallowed [her name] in the towel / With which she jeweled the table tops,” it suggests that her mother’s cleaning wipes away her identity, leaving no lasting trace. This constant erasure underscores the difficulty of maintaining individuality in an environment that prioritizes uniformity and order, illustrating how efforts at self-definition can be temporary and vulnerable to external forces.
• Resistance and Individuality: The poem concludes on a powerful note of resistance as the speaker expresses a clear rejection of her mother’s way of life: “But I refused with every mark / To be like her, anonymous.” Here, the speaker contrasts her desire for individuality with her mother’s “anonymous” existence, suggesting that her mother’s life, dedicated to cleaning and routine, has led to a kind of invisibility. By marking her name repeatedly, the speaker resists being consigned to the same fate. This final declaration reflects a defiant assertion of individuality and an insistence on being seen and recognized, rather than fading into obscurity.

Literary Theories and “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez

Literary Theory	Application to “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez	References from the Poem
Feminist Theory	This theory examines how gender roles and expectations are reflected in literature. In “Dusting,” the mother embodies traditional female roles, dedicating herself to household duties, while the daughter rebels against these norms by asserting her individuality. The poem critiques the limitations placed on women’s identity and self-expression within domestic spaces.	The mother’s actions, like “squirting / Linseed from a burping can” and “jeweled the table tops,” depict her in a conventional domestic role, while the speaker’s line “I refused…to be like her, anonymous” represents a rejection of these gendered expectations.
Psychoanalytic Theory	Through a psychoanalytic lens, “Dusting” can be seen as an exploration of the subconscious struggle between the individual’s desire for autonomy and the influence of familial expectations. The speaker’s repeated attempts to leave her name symbolize a subconscious need to assert her identity, while the mother’s erasure reflects a parental control over self-definition.	The speaker’s desire to “write [her] name” repeatedly suggests a need for self-definition, while the mother “erased [her] fingerprints” symbolizes suppression of the daughter’s emerging identity.
Postcolonial Theory	Postcolonial theory explores themes of identity, cultural legacy, and resistance. The poem can be interpreted as a metaphor for resisting cultural assimilation or erasure. The speaker’s attempts to make her mark reflect a struggle to assert cultural and personal identity in a context that demands conformity, possibly reflecting Alvarez’s own experiences as a Dominican-American.	The speaker’s line “Each morning I wrote my name” symbolizes a repetitive effort to maintain her cultural identity, while “swallowed in the towel” reflects the oppressive force of erasure and conformity.

Critical Questions about “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez

Literary Works Similar to “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez

1. “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden: This poem explores the theme of family dynamics and unspoken love, as a child reflects on the sacrifices of a hardworking parent, similar to the tension between identity and parental influence in “Dusting”.
2. “The Gift” by Li-Young Lee: Lee’s poem reflects on the influence of a parent in shaping identity, as a son recalls his father’s gentle teachings, paralleling “Dusting”‘s exploration of the impact of parental actions on self-identity.
3. “Marks” by Linda Pastan: This poem addresses expectations within family roles, particularly a mother’s role, echoing “Dusting”‘s critique of traditional roles and the desire to break away from them.
4. “In the Waiting Room” by Elizabeth Bishop: Bishop’s poem captures a young girl’s awakening to her own identity and separateness from family, similar to the self-discovery and resistance to conformity seen in “Dusting”.

Representative Quotations of “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez

Quotation	Context	Theoretical Perspective
“Each morning I wrote my name”	The speaker begins by describing her ritual of writing her name in dust, symbolizing her attempt to assert her individuality daily.	Psychoanalytic Theory: Suggests a need for self-identity and presence.
“On the dusty cabinet, then crossed”	The act of writing on household objects highlights her desire to leave a mark in a controlled environment where her mother erases it.	Postcolonial Theory: Highlights resistance against erasure and assimilation.
“Practicing signatures like scales”	Compares practicing her signature to playing musical scales, suggesting her repetition and effort to craft a unique identity.	Feminist Theory: Reflects a woman’s attempt to develop a distinct self.
“While Mother followed, squirting”	Her mother follows and cleans up her marks, symbolizing generational or societal pressures to conform and erase personal traces.	Generational Conflict: Represents the clash between tradition and individualism.
“She erased my fingerprints”	The mother’s actions literally and metaphorically remove signs of the daughter’s individuality, suppressing her self-expression.	Psychoanalytic Theory: Implies a parental control over self-definition.
“Polished mirrors on the desk”	Mirrors suggest reflection; by polishing them, her mother emphasizes cleanliness, which paradoxically obscures the speaker’s identity.	Symbolism: Mirrors symbolize identity, and their polishing erases individuality.
“My name was swallowed in the towel”	The speaker’s name is metaphorically “swallowed,” implying that her attempts at identity are being absorbed and erased by the mother’s routine.	Postcolonial Theory: The erasure suggests cultural or generational erasure.
“With which she jeweled the table tops”	The mother’s intense cleaning is described as “jeweled,” adding irony, as her labor removes rather than preserves identity.	Irony: Shows the mother’s pride in erasure while the daughter resists.
“The grain surfaced in the oak”	Through polishing, the mother reveals the grain of wood, symbolizing how tradition surfaces through the erasure of individual marks.	Symbolism: The grain represents ingrained cultural or familial values.
“But I refused with every mark”	The speaker’s final act of defiance, marking herself apart from her mother’s anonymity, shows her determination to assert individuality.	Feminist Theory: Expresses resistance against traditional female roles and conformity.

Suggested Readings: “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez

1. ALVAREZ, JULIA. “JULIA ALVAREZ.” Lofty Dogmas: Poets on Poetics, edited by DEBORAH BROWN et al., University of Arkansas Press, 2005, pp. 203–05. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvmx3j3j.58. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
2. Wielkopolan, Stefanie. “The Liberation of Julia Alvarez’s Voice.” Confluence: The Journal of Graduate Liberal Studies 12.2 (2007).
3. Hitchcock, Jan L. “Reflections on “Dusting”: Poetry’s educational and therapeutic capacity to convey and evoke multiple meanings.” Journal of Poetry Therapy 18.4 (2005): 195-205.