Reaction to Rebecca Walker's essay "Lusting for Freedom"

“I never felt any great loss of innocence, only great rushes of the kind of power that comes with self-knowledge and shared intimacy.”

This reaction to something that is so morally taboo shows strength of character, not only for the author, but also for women, in general. Sex shouldn’t feel like a debasement of character; as living creatures we are programmed to desire and yearn for it. First sexual encounters shouldn’t be viewed as losing one’s virginity, but instead be seen as a monumental experience in this business of growing up.

“Unfortunately, moral codes and legal demarcations complicate rather than regulate desire. And judgments like “right” and “wrong” only build barriers between people and encourage shame within individuals.”

Our society still incorporates the Puritanical roots of our Pilgrim ancestors, even after hundreds of years of growth away from that mindset. We have the ability to practice any religion, and speak outright about issues without facing fatal consequences, but we are unable to escape this shield of guilt surrounding sexuality.

“Sex can look like love if you don’t know what love looks like.”

As young girls develop into women, most will have to endure the unfortunate aspect of the duality between sex and love. While both can coexist, and in many cases do, there are instances where sex is divorced from love. If the proper precautions are not taken to protect oneself from the harshness of reality, sex can definitely be mistaken to be more than it is.

“I peeled back endless layers of contorted faces, checking out fully the possibilities of the roles I took on.”

Discovering oneself is a practice that takes dedication and years of searching. Rarely does anyone know who he or she is in entirety until they have experimented with different personas, tried on others’ masks to find the one that fits most comfortably. The process is similar to being in a play; the actor assumes the personality of the person he or she is attempting to convey.

Sexuality is stifled by the taboos that exist in our culture in an attempt to discourage children from engaging in sexual relations. Yet regardless of these barriers, people will continue to have sex, as the act is encoded into our baser instincts. In her essay Lusting for Freedom, Rebecca Walker describes her own experiences developing her sexual identity, and relates that back to the larger culture’s expectation of femininity. Relating this academic piece to the novel Fledgling uncovers some topics that are not noticeable on the surface. Yet the whole book pivots on this issue of sexuality in relation to race, age, gender, and sexual orientation. The protagonist encompasses all of those issues as she is unaware to the social organization of the culture while being a young African American girl who is also undefined by strict sexual ideals.