Summary

“Virginia Is Not Your Home” (16) is narrated in the second person by a woman whose birth name is Virginia and who was also raised in the state of Virginia. The story follows her from childhood into middle age, conveying her actions to the reader in the form of instructions, suggesting that she is telling herself what to do before she does it. She begins by telling herself that her name was given to her at birth but that Virginia was never her home, and follows this by saying “give yourself a new one” (16). She proceeds to give herself instructions for how to escape her home in Virginia, including shedding her accent, dressing severely to discourage romantic advances from boys, studying French, filling out applications for colleges, and — once in college — lying and saying her...