The Fourth of July - Analysis

Lorde brings up not hating not having sunglasses during July because of the summer brightness. Lorde "viewed Julys through an agonizing corolla of dazzling white-ness and always hated the Fourth of July". (223, Lorde) This paragraph stands out because not having sunglasses and having to squint in the white hot sun doesn't seem to add anything to the rest of the story, but adding this was intentional by Lorde. The white light of the sun was dominant and unavoidably; the sun was everywhere, and even if you could duck under shade and avoid it, the sun will eventually set and there will be no shadows to shade. This is represented in white supremacy, where Lorde experiences discrimination everywhere, such as her school, the dining car on the train, and the ice cream shop. She cannot avoid it, and when she tries to run away from it, it hits her again somewhere else.