As we are to be wrapping up on reading Zami, there is one element to Audre Lorde's biomythography that I am still pondering on. Much of this thought revolves around the shear discord that she endures as she tries to settle into her own, and as she tries to find her one true love. As these are a mirror of what might virtually have happened in Lorde's actual life, I can't help but wonder if "Zami" is a reflection of the tension that is prevalent ins society, especially as it relates to racism, sexuality, and humanity.
It is nothing new to say that that Lorde's character never finds true happiness. There are moments where she is able to find an indeterminable modicum of bliss, but these are momentary, and are eventually hounded by societal pressures, as well as personal conflict with trying to fit in a world that essentially condemns not just her sexual orientation, but her very skin. However, through all of the strife that comes with her "unorthodox" lifestyle and her paranoia of sexual "longing", Zami comes through it all with a deeper sense of herself, her sexuality, and her womanhood. He these elements intersect with her life experiences can give some credence to Zami as a resistor to this societal and personal tension.
It would be interesting if this theme would be seen in some similar works by Lorde, or if this model is specific to her character in Zami. The concept of intersectionality will, no doubt, permeate deeply as we come to understand more about the experiences of women and their expressions in literature. Even so, Audre Lorde's story is a good introduction to figuring out such a concept, and puts the struggles of black women in general, whether gay or not, into perspective.
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