Roots Symbol Analysis

The titular roots in “Dark Roots” represent the protagonist’s failure to hide her true age from her lover, Paul, and from herself. In the story, the protagonist’s decision to dye her is a presented by the narrative as a “dead giveaway” of her newfound obsession with appearing younger. The protagonist, upon buying the hair dye for the first time, reflects that “it’s the easiest thing in the world to appear the next day with red highlights.” As time goes on, she herself even starts to believe that the highlights are natural. However, this transformation proves not so easy when her dark roots continue to grow, “exposing a weak moment where [the protagonist] succumbed to vanity.” The protagonist compares the roots to growth rings on a tree, highlighting her inability to avoid the natural process of aging. The protagonist considers allowing the roots to grow out, but instead decides to continue the constant maintenance of her highlights when she spots a gray hair (another indicator of natural aging). As time continues to pass, she loses hope in her ability to hide her age, remarking that “any fool could see [the] colour’s not natural.” Still, she refuses to give up her quest, buying shampoo for color-treated hair. So, though the protagonist’s angst about aging causes her to continue (in vain) to hide from the natural processes of getting older, her dark roots and gray hair serve as a constant reminder of the truth.