Belonging vs. Individuality

After reading three more essays from David Sedaris’ book Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, I have managed to kindle more thoughts and ponder the common themes that I have noticed pooling in the divots of each story.

                The dominant theme in the last few essays has been the idea of belonging.  This is not any kind of new or revolutionary idea; it has been the center piece of many books already written.  However, Sedaris’ personal experiences with wanting to belong while still clinging to individuality are shockingly relatable and witty to the point of cringe-worthiness.  If someone were to ask me: “What is it like trying to be cool as a teenager?” my initial reaction would be to hand them a copy of Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and tell them to turn to the essay “The Change in Me.”  In this essay, Sedaris recalls a personal story that shows how difficult it is for a teen to be wedged between the two cliff faces known as “individuality” and “fitting in” while not being able to get a stable footing in either place.  His story illustrates this social paradox with his plan to become a shining, admirable individual by imitating the hippies that he sees asking strangers for change on the streets.  Eventually, the young Sedaris learns his lesson when the hippies mock him for attempting to become a hippy himself, helping him realize that individuality is not something that you can force upon yourself or anyone else; uniqueness is acquired through the natural development of your own character.  

                 The same theme carries into the essay “Hejira,” in which a slightly older Sedaris struggles with his own lifestyles in a more serious way.  After turning over some rocks in his life, Sedaris discovers some of his own vital features.  He comes to terms with his sexuality, he seems to embrace his lack of motivation to keep himself in any college, and he finds himself using drugs to escape the embarrassment of the previously listed characteristics that he may suffer in society’s eyes.  This idea of individuality takes Sedaris from a state of unbearable and inescapable awkwardness to one of ironic comfort, even though the lifestyle that he takes on as a young adult causes his father to turn his own son away from his home.  Though, like every teenager, he may have struggled with finding their place in the world, Sedaris has conquered the position of raw individuality in the form of self-acceptance despite the disapproval of close friends and family; a harsh yet beautiful reality.

(Question answered: What dominant themes permeate the text? How are they developed?)