Adrienne Rich’s essay “Split at the Root: An Essay on Jewish Identity” explores her personal journey as a mixed Jewish-Gentile individual in a predominantly non-Jewish society. She discusses the pressure to hide one’s true identity and conform to societal norms, focusing on how religion, ethnicity, and social characteristics are used as means of suppression. Rich also highlights the injustices faced by those who suffer due to these expectations. Ultimately, she advocates for embracing acceptance and recognizing that identity is shaped by one’s surroundings rather than religious beliefs, ethnic background, or social status.
Rich argues that while some white individuals may use a derogatory term for African Americans, she and her social circle prefer to refer to them as Negroes. However, she distinguishes herself and her group from the “common people,” who are less educated whites from a lower social class. Rich and her group are well-educated and come from a higher social class, making them the societal norm. Despite being part of this group, Rich openly discusses her true opinions and beliefs while also feeling obligated to present herself as an elegant woman.
Rich discloses that her father is Jewish; however, due to society’s admiration for non-Jewish women, according to Jewish law she cannot identify as Jewish. She suggests that our identity as women is often influenced by our mothers, which explains why she feels more connected to the non-Jewish population.
Rich feels that she has deceived her father, a Jewish doctor, by concealing her Jewish identity while living a false life. She discloses that her father never mentioned her mother, who instilled in her the principles of her societal status. Rich also recounts an unpleasant memory of her father’s response when she performed as Portia in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. She remembers him advising her to use her voice to display additional scorn and disdain towards the term “Jew” during one of their practice sessions.
During Rich’s time at Radcliffe University, she witnessed a prevalent trend of individuals concealing their true selves in order to conform to societal norms. Although Radcliffe, located in Cambridge Massachusetts, was believed to be an intellectually-driven institution in the North, Rich discovered that some of her female classmates went to great lengths to physically transform themselves in order to fit in. These “fixed girls” would straighten their hair, change their names, and even undergo plastic surgery to remove any perceived Jewish features. However, despite these alterations, these women maintained their Jewish heritage, values, and traditions. Rich’s mother viewed her friend group as a dangerous influence, fearing that their association would result in her daughter being branded as part of the unruly Jewish classification imposed by society.
Rich discusses and illustrates various incidents in her life that aim to influence readers’ emotions and attitudes towards individuals belonging to different religions, races, and social classes. She believes that her work does not offer a definite solution, thus leaving me without a conclusion of my own except to support her belief that everyone should actively work towards eliminating superficial expressions of identity (Rich pg 313).
