Summary Of Hanging Fire By Audre Lorde

In the poem “Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde she displays identity and coming of age vividly through a fourteen year old. This teenager is rapidly searching for an identity within the consent and affection of others with an incredible fear of not making it. She is silently begging for the attention of her mother. No one is soothing the sensations that are consuming her, “what if I die before morning and momma’s in the bedroom with the door closed”. With no direction to kindle the motivation that is hardly there as it is, our character is waiting senselessly and fearfully to be knocked down by the wind of the physical and emotional insecurities she keeps close by. And how is she supposed to do so much tomorrow with nothing to wear and no one to
lean on?
Kambili, in the novel Purple Hibiscus written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, resonates with a similar identity and coming of age crisis. At one year older, she is starting to fight with what she has always known, that being schedules built only around school and religion and a father dressed with authority but abiding by abuse. The author uses Kambili’s older brother, Jaja, to give perspective as to where she stands maturity wise. Living scared to death of speaking outside of the set expectations or performing to less than that level, therefore being judged by her father and by God, she stutters through her words and does nothing without being completely confident she should, which means she usually just does nothing at all. Jaja was contained to this once, but is now not okay with that. He is rebelling for his happiness and Kambili doesn’t know how to laugh.