Rewriting the Narrative: Authorship Over Adoption

Sor Juana used her writing—poetry, theology, plays, letters—to assert authorial control over her own narrative. She didn't allow institutional or social forces to define her story; she defined it through her own words and ideas. For adopted individuals, this concept addresses a specific vulnerability: adoption narratives are often authored by others—social workers, adoptive parents, even biological parents—before adoptees gain voice. Rewriting the narrative means claiming the pen for your own story. This doesn't mean rejecting others' perspectives, but insisting on your perspective as primary. Your adoption story belongs to you. Your identity integration—the meaning you make of biological and adoptive relationships, of chosen and given dimensions—is your narrative to compose. Sor Juana's prolific writing demonstrates that authorship is both act and practice: you become the author of your life through consistent, intentional articulation of your own understanding. Writing, speaking, creating, and testifying become methods of claiming narrative authority. This reframing transforms adoption from something that happened to you into something you actively interpret, integrate, and make meaningful.