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Analysis of Extended Metaphor in Julia Alvarez's "Dusting"
In the poem "Dusting," Julia Alvarez uses the extension of the concept of dusting as a
metaphor to show how the speaker and the mother are different as people and how they deal with
the issues of personal identities. The mother who duster represents tradition and submission to
the housewife role, while the writer in the sand is the opposite, as'my name is enrolled in this
forgetting.' Thus, Alvarez builds the conflict between generations and cultures, using the
metaphor where an individual's freedom is opposed to obligations against the common
background.
In "Dusting," the mother is depicted as a good housewife who dusts the house, leaving no
trace of dust, and so the daughter's efforts of applying a mark on the table with crayons were all
wiped off by the mother. The mother's actions are described in detail: Alvarez expresses this in
these lines: "She erased my fingerprints from the bookshelf and rocker" (lines 8-9). Her constant
cleaning depicts her commitment and hard work in ensuring the house is clean and well-
organized, an activity that fills most of her daily activities. Dusting is a continuous cycle for the
mother, the same way with her traditional roles—significant tasks that demand the woman's
sacrifice and circularity. Cleaning also represents control since the mother wants to control
Student’S name
Institution
Course
Instructor
Date
Analysis of Extended Metaphor in Julia Alvarez's "Dusting"
In the poem "Dusting," Julia Alvarez uses the extension of the concept of dusting as a
metaphor to show how the speaker and the mother are different as people and how they deal with
the issues of personal identities. The mother who duster represents tradition and submission to
the housewife role, while the writer in the sand is the opposite, as'my name is enrolled in this
forgetting.' Thus, Alvarez builds the conflict between generations and cultures, using the
metaphor where an individual's freedom is opposed to obligations against the common
background.
In "Dusting," the mother is depicted as a good housewife who dusts the house, leaving no
trace of dust, and so the daughter's efforts of applying a mark on the table with crayons were all
wiped off by the mother. The mother's actions are described in detail: Alvarez expresses this in
these lines: "She erased my fingerprints from the bookshelf and rocker" (lines 8-9). Her constant
cleaning depicts her commitment and hard work in ensuring the house is clean and well-
organized, an activity that fills most of her daily activities. Dusting is a continuous cycle for the
mother, the same way with her traditional roles—significant tasks that demand the woman's
sacrifice and circularity. Cleaning also represents control since the mother wants to control
