Alice Walker is an author who grew up in an environment with violent racism along with poverty. As a result of her surroundings and lifestyle, it made a permanent influence on her writing. Being a black woman, born and raised in Georgia, the majority of her stories have to do with African-American heritage. Most of her stories are centered on black individuals or families in the south. In 1972, Alice Walker published “Everyday Use” in a collection of short stories. In “Everyday Use”, Walker tells the story of a mother and her two daughters’ different thoughts about their heritage and their individualism as a culture. Through the characters of Dee, Maggie and the Ms. Johnson, Walker expresses the different sides of culture and heritage; …show more content…
Johnson, who is an older African-American woman. She is overweight and built more like a man than a woman. She describes herself as “a large, big-boned woman with rough, man working hands” (Walker 491). Although uneducated and poor, she views herself as an independent woman who takes pride in her lifestyle. Dee is the oldest daughter. She was blessed with the opportunity to receive an education. She is the popular, beautiful and tries to aims for higher goals in life. As the story goes on, she is portrayed as a materialistic, selfish, and difficult person to get along with because her view of her heritage is not the same as her mother and sister’s. Dee tends to have a superficial understanding of her heritage as she matures.(Obaid) In contrast of Dee, Maggie is the youngest daughter; Maggie is very quiet, simple, timid and plain. While she was younger, she was burned in a house fire, leaving her with scars all down her arms and legs. This tragic accident makes her a humble character throughout the story. Hakim-A-Barber is Dee’s boyfriend who goes with her on her visit back home. He is a Black Muslim, who has much cultural influence on …show more content…
This was a time period where African-Americans were trying to establish themselves and gain civil rights. Ms. Johnson and her girls were a poor family who did not have much of anything. Therefore, she tried to teach her girls to take great pride in the things that they did have. Instead of taking pride into what she did have, Dee was ashamed of the things around her for their lack of beauty and stylishness. She once wrote to her mother “No matter where we “choose” to live, she will manage to visit, but she will never bring her friends.” (Walker 493) When she met her boyfriend, Hakim-A-Barber, changed her name from Dee to Wangero to better suit her
In Alice Walker’s story “Everyday Use,” symbolism, allegory, and myth stand out when thinking about the characters, setting, and conflict in the story. The conflict is between the mother and her two daughters (Maggie and Dee). There is also the conflict between the family’s heritage (symbolized by the quilt, bench, and butter chum) and their different ways of life. Dee chose a new African name, moved to the city, and adopted a new way of life while Maggie and her mother have stay behind. The quilt (the most important symbol) represents the family’s heritage in that it is made of scraps of clothing worn by generations of family members. The quilt has been sewn by family hands and used on family beds. It has seen history and is history. Maggie and her mother see that that history is alive but Dee thinks it is as dead as her name. Dee does not see that name as part of her heritage. By analyzing these symbols, a number of possibilities for a theme can be seen. Walker could be suggesting that to understand the African-American heritage, readers have to include the present as well as the past. However, the theme could be that poverty and a lack of sophistication and education cannot be equated with ignorance. Lastly, she could be telling her readers that dignity or self-respect rise from and are virtually connected to one’s entire heritage- not just a selected part of it.
In “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker exemplified how the loss of heritage can contribute to the loss of one’s true self. As introduced in the story,
The mother in the story has worked extremely hard in raising Dee and her sister. The mother has even went out of her way to send her to college even though she really didn’t have the money and had to get help from the church. Dee comes back from college with a new personality trying to tell her mother and sister what they are doing wrong. She is described as not being a good role model because she does not appreciate anything people do for her. Dee has become a very materialistic person since she has come home from college. She wants the things that her mother has stored up from her ancestors. Dee wants these things because she wants to decorate her house with them. Dee even goes through her mother’s trunk to find other things such as her grandmother’s quilt. Dee wants the things because she wants to show her heritage but mother wants to give them to her sister who will actually use the items. Dee is described as not being a good role model because she is a very materialistic person instead of seeing the value in things. Dee Johnson is a not a very good role model. As she grows up she becomes very ashamed of her heritage and where she is from. She was the first in her family to go to college. Finishing college made her feel superior over her family. When she completes college she becomes an arrogant, unappreciative, and materialistic
Velazquez, Juan R. "Characterization and Symbolism in Alice Walker's 'Everyday Use.'" Lone Star College System. Lone Star, n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2014. .
In the story, Maggie is the younger sister and she got burn in a fire. Mama Johnson is the mother of Maggie. Maggie also has a sister name Dee. Dee has a problem. The problem is the she don’t know what is true representation of heritage. Dee is the only good educate from her family. Maggie didn’t go to school and she is very shy. Dee takes a friend name Hakim-A-Barber. Dee and hem are the black power movement. Hakim-A-Barber is very religious and he doesn’t what is true representation of heritage.
Everyday Use tells how a mother gradually rejects the superficial value of Dee in favor of the practical values of her younger, less fortunate daughter, Maggie (White). Each character gives their explanation of why they want the things to go their way or why they are the way they are. This story shows individuality, dignity, and independence as well. Although everyone has their own personal lifestyle, there could be anyone in the world that could somehow reflect back in to the past and how each person could relate to these characters in some way. Mama’s lack of education and refinement does not prevent her from having an inherent understanding of heritage based on her love and respect for those who come before her (White). As a symbol in this story, the quilts have a special meaning to mama, because she uses a quilt to reach out to touch the people whom the quilts represent. The bond in Everyday Use is genuinely between the women of several generations. Mama points out that Dee sees herself as belonging to a higher intellectual and social class than Mama and Maggie. In contrast, Mama and Maggie feel humiliated by her presence. (Walker). Dee’s education has been extremely important in forging her character, yet it has split her off from her family
“Everyday Use” is a story based in the era of racial separation between communities of diverse ethnicity. “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker merely scratches the surface of racial heritage and the elimination of previous ways of living. This discontinuation of poverty driven physical labor shines through Dee as she grows to know more of her heritage throughout her years in school. An example of this is when Dee changes her name; this is an indication of Dee/Wangero wanting to change her lifestyle after the harsh truth she is hit with while going to school. Dee learns about the struggles of African Americans during this time, which changes her view on the unforgiving reality of her family’s lifestyle. In “Everyday Use”, the author opens the mind
In “Everyday Use,” Mama illustrates the relationship between her two daughters. Both Maggie and Dee are like opposite poles, making it seem like their relationship is non-existent. Dee is a well-educated, good-looking young woman; who is so concerned with style, and fashion that she lacks the meaning of family and heritage. Maggie, however, is a simple, scarred young girl who truly understands the meaning behind family, and heritage. In “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker demonstrates through Mama’s eyes, the strain in Maggie and Dee’s relationship through Maggie’s actions towards her estranged sister’s visit, and Dee’s remarks and dominance over her younger sister.
Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” is a short story about an African American family that struggles to make it. Mama tries her best to give Maggie and Dee a better life than what she had. In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use,” Dee is the older sister and Maggie is younger. Dee is described as selfish and self-centered. Maggie is generous, kind, and cares the family’s history together. She would go out of her way to make sure that her older sister, Dee has everything she needs and wants. Maggie is also willing to share what she has with her sister. Maggie is also shy and vulnerable. Mama is the mother of Maggie and Dee. Mama is fair and always keeps her promises to her children. Hakim-a-barber is the boyfriend
Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” centers on a mama, Mrs. Johnson, and her two daughters, Maggie and Dee, and how they view their heritage. In “Everyday Use”, the author, Alice Walker, uses symbolism not just to convey imagery and increase the story’s emotional impact, as is typical for most literature, but also to tell parts of the story, be more descriptive with her depictions of characters and objects within the story, give back story, and communicate more of her characters’ personalities. Like most writings, “Everyday Use” contains symbolism in the form of objects and actions, but the symbolism in Everyday Use is very notable and striking because it is materialized in rather unorthodox ways and places, such as characters’ names, in the back
The characters in “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker serve as a comparison between how family heritage and traditions are viewed. Walker illustrates that heritage is represented not by the possession of items or how they look, but buy how they are used, how one’s attitude is, and how they go about a daily lifestyle. Every memory or tradition in “Everyday Use” strengthens the separation in the relationship between Dee and her mother, the narrator, which involves different views on their family heritage.
By contrasting the family characters in “Everyday Use,” Walker illustrates lost heritage by placing the significance of heritage solely on material objects. Walker presents Mama and Maggie, the younger daughter, as an example that heritage in both knowledge and form passing from one generation to another through a learning experience connection. However, by a broken connection, Dee the older daughter, represents a misconception of heritage as material. Dee, the “heritage queen” portrays a rags to riches daughter who does not understand what heritage is all about. Her definition of heritage hangs on a wall to show off, not to be used. Dee’s avoidance of heritage becomes clear when she is talking to Mama about changing her name, she says, “I couldn’t bear it any longer being named after the people who oppress me” (Walker 75). Thus resembling that Dee just takes another name without even understanding what her original name means. She tries to explain to Mama that her name now has meaning, quality, and heritage; never realizing that the new name means nothing. Changing her name bothers Mama and Maggie because Dee’s name is a fourth generation name, truly giving it heritage. Dee likes to gloat to her friends about how she was raised, so she tries to show off by decorating her house with useful items from her past. Her argument with Mama about taking quilts that were hand stitched as opposed to sewn by machine gives readers a chance to see Dee’s outlook of heritage is short lived. Dee says to Mama, “But they’re priceless. . . Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they’d be in rags. Less than that!” (Walker 77). Mama will not allow her daughter to take the quilts because she has been saving them for Dee’s sister, Maggie, and she wants the quilts to be put into everyday use. By helping
Culture is strongly demonstrated in “Everyday Use,” a short story by Alice Walker. The representation of African –American culture, heritage, and struggles powerfully takes over the story. “Everyday Use” was published in 1973. The story is focusing about a mother and her two daughters. The author shows their different identities and their ideas about heritage. In the story, Mama who is also the narrator shows how tradition and education in her family causes conflicts between both her daughters, Dee and Maggie. The Johnson family, experiences some stress when Dee, the daughter who does not live with the family comes back home for a visit. Dee is the only member of the family who has received a proper college education. Maggie, the younger daughter
n “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, we hear a story from the viewpoint of Mama, an African American woman about a visit from her daughter Dee. Mama along with her other daughter Maggie still live poor in the Deep South while Dee has moved onto a more successful life. Mama and Maggie embrace their roots and heritage whereas Dee wants to get as far away as possible. During her return, Dee draws her attention to a quilt. It is this quilt and the title of the piece that centers on the concept of what it means to integrate one’s culture into their everyday life.
The story 'Everyday Use', written by Alice Walker, is a story of heritage, pride, and learning what kind of person you really are. In the exposition, the story opens with background information about Dee and Maggie's life, which is being told by Mama. The reader learns that Dee was the type of child that had received everything that she wanted, while Maggie was the complete opposite. The crisis, which occurs later in the story, happens when Dee all of a sudden comes home a different person than she was when she left. During the Climax, Mama realizes that she has often neglected her other child, Maggie, by always giving Dee what she wants. Therefore, in the resolution, Mama defends Maggie by telling Dee that she cannot have the household items that she wants just to show others, instead of putting them to use like Maggie.