Nothing Must Spoil This Visit by Shauna Singh Baldwin and Everyday Use by Alice Walker
In “Nothing Must Spoil This Visit” by Shauna Singh Baldwin and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, two pairs of sisters are you’re average loveable sisters. Sisters can be blood related or by marriage. “Is solace anywhere more comforting than in the arms of a sister?” Many sisters do feel this way about each other. However, Chaya and Janet in "nothing must spoil this visit, who are sister in laws, but are not the best of friends. In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker; Dee and Maggie are blood related sisters, but don’t really have a loving relationship that sisters would have.
Chaya and Janet seem to have a hostile relationship towards the end of “Nothing Must Spoil This Visit”.
In “Nothing Must Spoil This Visit,” the author tells a story of bi-racial marriage. Janet is the woman married to the man Chaya has loved for so many years. This is why Chaya does not like Janet. She feels that Janet stole the love of her life. Chaya envied everything about Janet:
“She had first held Arvind close and then scanned Janet with a curiosity that took in her travel-crumpled jeans, clear-plastic-rimmed spectacles and the remnant of a perm in her brown hair.”(108) Janet sees how “Chaya still held Arvind's arm.”(108)
It was as if Chaya was trying to get reacquainted with the body of someone she once lost a long time ago. One would think that Chaya reminisces in what she could have had a long time ago. Even his own brother can’t see what Arvind sees in this foreigner:
What did Arvind see in Janet? A woman who appeared not to need a man. These foreign women, though, they talk their heads off against male chauvinism, but they really like it, they like surrendering to a real man. Look at their movies --- full of gaunt red-lipped women thrusting their come-hither pelvises at every eye. No sweetness, no kindness, no softness. Unbroken fillies. (117)
Why would Arvind love this “white woman” so much with all these flaws she has to herself? At a later point in the story Janet is with Arvind in his grandfather’s house sees a picture of Chaya and Arvind: “And a later one in colour, Arvind looking about twenty-five and Chaya in a sari, smiling at him, smiling an adoring smile.
A key factor in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” and Amy Tan’s “A Pair of Tickets,” is heritage. Throughout both stories the use of heritage can be seen easily. Walker’s avoidance of heritage in her writings and Tan’s understanding of heritage in her writing. Through this readers can see the true meaning of heritage. Understanding both sides of these two stories gives readers a chance to explore their own heritage and reflect on how they accept their past.
Velazquez, Juan R. “Characterization and Symbolism in Alice Walker’s ‘Everyday Use’.” Lone Star. N.p, n.d. Web. 17 Mar 2014.
Velasquez, Juan R. “Characterization and Symbolism in Alice Walker’s ‘Everyday Use’.” Lonestar. N.p.,n.d.Web. 17 Mar 2014.
In "Everyday Use," Alice Walker stresses the importance of heritage. She employs various ways to reveal many aspects of heritage that are otherwise hard to be noticed.
Tate, Claudia C. "'Everyday Use' by Alice Walker." African American Review 30.2 (1996): 308+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
In "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, Walker shows differences in human character, just by the way they act towards family members. The main character in the story, Mother, has two daughters that she treats very differently, and they treat her differently. One daughter looks down on Mother in a condescending manner, and the other is obedient and kind. In "Everyday Use", Walker shows that in relationships between a mother and daughters, adaptation to change can sometimes be very hard, which leads to pride and protecting what one has accomplished, and finally shows how un-appreciation can hinder these relationships.
Author Alice Walker, displays the importance of personal identity and the significance of one’s heritage. These subjects are being addressed through the characterization of each character. In the story “Everyday Use”, the mother shows how their daughters are in completely two different worlds. One of her daughter, Maggie, is shy and jealous of her sister Dee and thought her sister had it easy with her life. She is the type that would stay around with her mother and be excluded from the outside world. Dee on the other hand, grew to be more outgoing and exposed to the real, modern world. The story shows how the two girls from different views of life co-exist and have a relationship with each other in the family. Maggie had always felt that Mama, her mother, showed more love and care to Dee over her. It is until the end of the story where we find out Mama cares more about Maggie through the quilt her mother gave to her. Showing that even though Dee is successful and have a more modern life, Maggie herself is just as successful in her own way through her love for her traditions and old w...
The tensions between them are clear, but being a sister they remind me of myself crying out for daddies attention when the other gets more, or I feel less like the favorite. Everyone wants to be the favorite. However, in greek mythology as women they will always come after and below men. I think this is the most important thing they have in common and should stick together for that
It is often the variant of a child’s up-bringing that determines their placement and views within society, the setting of time and place are a key factor in this as well. In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, Dee, a teenage, Afroamerican girl who was born and raised in a rural country town in the southern U.S. during the 1960’s was the product of a single mother, and through the help of the church Dee was able to go to school. Demographically and geographically, Ann Copeland’s character, Honey, from “The Bear’s Paw” opposes Dee in that she was a caucasian girl raised in Connecticut amidst the 1980’s. Both raised on the forefront of the, by present day standards, pre-modern era have been dealt a primary consumer society where traditional and modern
There are many themes that occur and can be interpreted differently throughout the novel. The three main themes that stand out most are healing, communication, and relationships.
“Girl” was a decent short story. I’m not a big fan of the structure, however, most of the advice the mother gave was good like catching fish, setting the table for dinner, and washing clothes. The mother was very concerned regarding the girl’s future. She wanted her daughter to have basic knowledge of how to complete daily tasks for survival. I think the short story is a collection of advice the mother gave to the girl over several years. I didn’t like how it seemed as though the mother thought it were inevitable the daughter would become a slut. Although in different wording and tone, most girls will eventually have that conversation where the mother instructs them on basically becoming a woman.
Point of view is described as the perspective from which a story is told (Literature, G25). In the story "Everyday Use" the point of view is that of first person narrator or major character. The story is told by the mother in the story. The theme of this story is that of a mother who is trying to cope with changing times and two daughters who are completely different. Having the story told from momma's point of view helps to reveal how momma feels about herself and how she defines her daughters Dee and Maggie.
Walker, Alice. "Everyday Use." Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: Harper Collins, 1991.
Walker, Alice. "Everyday Use." Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: Harper Collins, 1991.
Relationships between siblings can be very confusing and filled with emotional obstacles. Sharing the same blood type and genetic material does not ensure a lasting and loving relationship. However, with the right amount of sensitivity, and a whole lot of humor, these relationships can grow to be the most important in one’s life.