Asserting Independence

As a college freshman here at UD I am asserting my independence as an individual. However, I am asserting my independence in ways that are similar and different from Dee, a character from the story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker.
There are some ways that Dee and I are asserting are independence that are similar. One such way is that we are trying to become individuals. It is important in life to find ourselves, who we are as human beings, what our purpose is in life, what we want to do, etc. In addition, another way that we assert our independence similarly is that we both have boyfriends (although the man in the story is never identified as her boyfriend). Having a boyfriend asserts a girl’s independence because this is a person with whom one can communicate with, get to know, and love that is separate from her family. Also, we both went away to college (although I am not sure how far Dee went away to school). I went three and a half hours away from my home, which is in Aurora, OH. It seems as though Dee went pretty far, too. These are the only ways in which Dee and I have asserted ourselves as individuals that are similar
Thus, since there are some similarities, there are also differences. Perhaps the main way that we have asserted ourselves in different ways is that I keep in touch with my family as we are close. I talk to my family at least once every day, whether it is via cell phone, text message, or email. On the other hand, it appears as though Dee does not talk / communicate with her family when she is away at college. Another difference is that I stay connected with my heritage, I understand it, and I build from my heritage in order to establish myself as an individual. An example that shows how I stay connected through my understanding is that I keep my favorite picture of me with my grandfather who passed away about 3 years ago. Therefore, by keeping this picture, I keep my heritage close to me and I am reminded every day of who I am and where I come from. This is very different from Dee. Even though she wanted to keep the quilts that her grandmother made, she wanted them as a piece of art, not because of the family values and memories that were in them. Therefore, the main difference is that while I am trying to establish myself as an individual I am emotionally literate, whereas Dee is not.
Other ways that I am asserting myself as an individual is that I am making more decisions for myself. Such as, when should I do homework? When should I eat? What should I eat? What am I doing this weekend? What time am I going out? What time am I getting back? In addition, I am asserting myself as an individual by creating a life for myself here at UD. This includes creating a group of friends, attending sporting events, joining organizations such as Christmas on Campus and UDAYC. These ways may or may not be similar from Dee. I am just not sure as these ways were not discussed in the story.
To me, a person can only assert oneself as an individual by building from their heritage as that is what makes a person who one is. This is because it says where you come from, and if you want to create your own life, you have to start with where you came from, and who has helped you get to where you are.