These line in the given excerpt clearly reveal that Dee is a strong person. She recognizes her surroundings and knows what she wants and how. She was named after her aunt Dee who had passed away, but Dee did not want that. She felt oppressed by her aunt and therefore did not want to be reminded of the grave ordeal.
Therefore she let her mother know of what she wanted to be called and voiced her opinions. The ambiguity and the irony of the situation is clearly visible in the above excerpt.
Dee has changed her name to “Wangero.” She claims “Dee” is dead because she believes that the name ties her to the white oppressors of the African American community:
"I couldn't bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me."
On the other hand, her mother sees the same name as a part of her culture and heritage. It is a name that several women in her family had proudly held for generations, as she explains to her daughter:
"You know as well as me you was named after your aunt Dicie."
The mother believes naming her elder daughter after her sister is a way of staying connected to the family’s ancestors and helps her keep the family’s legacy alive. The irony is that Dee chooses to dissociate herself from her family because of their simple and unsophisticated lifestyle. She also tries to claim a superficial African heritage for herself by changing her name and dressing in African clothes and jewelry, without having a real understanding of that culture.
