Everyday Use Heritage Analysis

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Recommended: An analysis of everyday use by alice walker

The author in “Everyday Use”, Alice Walker defines heritage as family, tradition, and culture. Walker is expressing the importance of family heritage. The story begins with the narrator, Mama describing herself as a large frame unattractive woman. Clearly she does not think too highly of herself. “In real life I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands.” (Walker 380) Mama is an uneducated, bias, and judgmental mother of two. In the beginning, she compares her daughters to one another. Example, she calls Maggie and her fiancé ugly. Perhaps the mother’s negative thinking is the reflection of how she feels about herself. Which explains why she does not think too highly of one of her daughters, Maggie. It seems as if the …show more content…

Maggie feels less worthy than Dee. This is why she rejects taking the quit and offers it to her sister. Maggie should be excited about her sister arrival. Instead, Maggie is nervous about her sister coming into town. “Maggie will be nervous until after her sister goes; she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe.” (Walker 380) Mama is under the impression Maggie is jealous of Dee. Maggie just is not seem comfortable being in her sister presence. Their mother favoritism may has impacted Maggie feeling embarrassed around her sister. If Dee is given a chance to tell her side of the story; she will feel misunderstood. Dee feels collecting items from her hometown and changing her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo is embracing tradition. She will explain the quilt is memorabilia, she does not want to be ruined. Understanding Wanergo point of view will take away from her seeming unappreciative, rude, and bossy. Wanergo defines heritage as collecting material items, but she does not respect her family traditions. “You know as well as me you was named after your aunt Dicie.” Wangero goes on to say, “But who was she name after?” (Walker 383) Since leaving the south, she has forgotten where she comes from. So much so that she has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. Mama

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