The Influence of Self-Image

We learn many different lessons in life, experience new paths and learn and grow from it, in this case during the course of her life, Alice Walker is exposed to various events that change her personality and views of herself. From her early childhood she recognizes the innocence of life to the beauty of growing up. Alice experiences three very distinctive emotional stages as she develops through several age periods.

As a young girl she develops a good self esteem and pride within herself and her beauty as a young girl. Alice starts off understanding that she has already has the upper hand, being the youngster of eight in the family, “Take me daddy,…I’m the prettiest!,” (Walker 56). She admires and lives her life of sweet youth, innocently absorbing all the compliments given by all not knowing what lies ahead for her.

At the age of eight she encounters a life change tragedy which affects her for many years after in her youth. Alice, living and such a small community doesn’t have many options as far as friends go, so she is quickly influenced by her two older brothers, establishing the same styles of clothing to the same games to play. Her perception and attitude towards everything is changed quickly by a single copper pellet that strikes her in the eye, leaving a glob of white tissue, and a hideous cataract. For the next few years of her life Alice quickly shifts attitudes resulting by the scar left. No longer living in the same area, Alice moves in with her grandparents in a different county, leaving everything she grew to love, her friends, school, and church. She starts to realize reality and the affects caused by her early accident, she

begins to do poorly in school, constantly