In many aspects, beauty is a superficial trait that cannot be acquired, but is simply had or not had. Matured members of society view beauty as a privilege, but in " Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self", by Alice Walker, beauty is not in one's appearance but in the strength one builds throughout life's challenges. Alice Walker's life is filled with adversity, from her early childhood up to adulthood. Many times her will is tested, and every time she perseveres and builds her strength as a woman. As a child, she was injured in an accident with her brothers while she was playing a game with them. She explains the incident when she says, "I feel an incredible blow in my right eye. I look down just in time to see my brother lower his gun" (Walker). This moment changes her life for ever, for she is damaged both physically and mentally. She is first only concerned with her physical beauty, as this is the standard in society. Her distress is captured when she says, "For six years I do not stare at anyone, because I do not raise my head" (Walker). Beauty in this sense is only on the surface, but as she matures she realizes this is not true beauty. …show more content…
She feels as though her traumatic injury that caused her so much grief did not diminish her value as a person, but has made her greater than she ever could have been had she not suffered this terrible blow. This realization only occurs when Walker is dancing, as she describes is as, "The other dancer has obviously come through all right, as I have done. She is beautiful, whole, and free" (Walker). Alice believes her beauty does not lay in her appearance, but in the strength it took to overcome the obstacles she faced throughout her life. As she realizes, her apparent lack of beauty is what gave her strength, and in turn, regained the beauty she once