Comparing and Contrasting “New Clothes” and “Dusting” by Julia Alvarez

Julia Alvarez’s poems “New Clothes” and “Dusting” both talk about identity and how people want to be remembered. The titles help us understand the poems. “New Clothes” suggests change and growth, while “Dusting” makes us think about cleaning and removing old things.
In “New Clothes,” the speaker is someone who wants to create a new identity. The speaker says, “The warp and weft / of old and new, a patchwork quilt / of who I was and who I’ll become” (Alvarez). This shows the speaker mixes old and new parts of their life to grow. In “Dusting,” the speaker is a young person who wants to be noticed by their mother. The speaker writes, “Each morning I wrote my name / on the dusty cabinet” (Alvarez). This shows the speaker wants to stay and be remembered, even when the dust is cleaned away.
The mothers in the two poems are important but different. In “Dusting,” the mother cleans away the dust, trying to remove all marks from the past. The speaker says, “I refused with every mark / to be like her, anonymous” (Alvarez), meaning the mother wants the speaker to disappear or forget. In “New Clothes,” the mother is part of family history and stories that the speaker wants to keep. The speaker talks about “the stories of my ancestors” in the new clothes (Alvarez). Both mothers influence the speaker’s identity, but one tries to erase it and the other helps keep it.
The main symbol in “Dusting” is dust. Dust shows time passing and things being removed. Writing a name on dust means the speaker wants to be remembered. In “New Clothes,” the main symbol is the cloth or clothes, showing how old and new come together to make a new self. Both symbols help us understand the speaker’s desire to keep their identity and be seen.
The tones in the poems are different. “Dusting” sounds strong and rebellious because the speaker fights to be remembered. The speaker says, “I refused with every mark / to be like her, anonymous” (Alvarez). In “New Clothes,” the tone is peaceful and hopeful because the speaker accepts change and growing.
In conclusion, Julia Alvarez’s poems “New Clothes” and “Dusting” both explore identity and memory. They show how people want to be themselves and be remembered. Even if the poems have different feelings and symbols, they both help us understand the importance of who we are.
Works Cited:
Alvarez, Julia. “Dusting.” Family and Friend. 1984. https://mylearning.suny.edu/d2l/le/content/2022500/viewContent/48238198/View.
Accessed 3 June 2025.
Alvarez, Julia. “New Clothes.” Poetry foundation/Poetry magazine. May 1982. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?volume=140&issue=2&page=31.
Accessed 3 June 2025

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