A Struggle of Borders-- Anzaldua

What is unique about Anzaldua's approach to the idea of exile is her attachment to a number of cultures simultaneously. She feels bound to several different communities and seems fascinated by the notion of a borderland. This theme of being able to "continually walk out of one culture/ and into another" is important both in Anzaldua's writing and in her attitude towards her own lifestyle. She describes the life of the mestiza, the one who resides in the borderland, as having a constant "struggle of flesh, a struggle of borders, an inner war". Everyday is a balancing act for someone "cradled in one culture, sandwiched between two cultures, straddling all three cultures and their value systems". Identifying so strongly, as Anzaldua does, with two very different ways of living, thinking, speaking and interacting is a constant challenge. It is almost like having a dual identity, and it can be difficult to figure out how to behave in a way which is consistent and at the same time faithful to both cultures (in Anzaldua's case, Mexico and the U.S.). As she puts it, " all reaction is limited by, and dependent on, what it is reacting against". Because she feels so at home in either culture, any way of behaving is a conscious decision on Anzaldua's part, and not necessarily natural. She can seem foreign in either culture, or knowledgeable and rebellious, or completely comfortable. She has the capacity to fit in on either "shore", while knowing that this ability also isolates her in a sense from fully belonging to either place.
Many people in today's highly mobile world could probably empathize with some of what Anzaldua is feeling, especially regarding the idea of "straddling cultures"-- for many, this particular struggle is an unavoidable part of life.