The search for one’s true identity is a difficult journey. One must track their ancestors, research their heritage, and correctly synthesize all of their gathered information into that specific identity. This journey is especially hard for African Americans whose ancestors were stolen from their native land. They have a desire to reconnect with their origins; however, their search is often hindered due to the fact that their ancestors were stolen. In an attempt to reconnect with this lost heritage, many African Americans in the 1960s and 1970s participated in the Black Nationalist Movement where they were able to claim a general African identity. This search for identity is shown in “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. Through her text, Walker highlights two perspectives on true African American identity: those who understood and accepted their identity as an African American and those who desired to know their African ancestry. This idea is supported through various sources including scholarly journals, critical articles, and educational Internet web pages. In Alice Walker’s short story, “Everyday Use”, Walker uses characterization, themes, and symbolism to show that the differing perspectives for true African American identity caused a disconnection in African American heritage during the 1960s and 1970s. Walker uses characters with distinct traits to explore the differences within African American identity. Dee represents the African American who desires to connect with their true African heritage. She is described as confident, arrogant, insensitive, selfish, and hungry for knowledge. These characteristics are shown through Mama’s narrative. She says, “[Dee] used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks’ habits... ... middle of paper ... ...s Views on Heritage." Humanities 360. N.p., 26 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 May 2014. Ushistory.org. "Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 29 May 2014. . Walker, Alice. "Everyday Use." Literature. An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 12th Ed. By X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education (US), 2012. 491-97. Print. White, David. ""Everyday Use": Defining African-American Heritage." Portals: Purdue North Central Literary Journal (2001): n. pag. Alice Walker The Official Website for the American Novelist Poet. Luminarium, 19 Sept. 2002. Web. 28 May 2014. Whitsitt, Sam. "In Spite of It All: A Reading of Alice Walker's "Everyday Use"" African American Review 34.3 (2000): 443-59. Elte.hu. Web. 29 May 2014.
Susan Farrell in her, “Fight vs. Flight: A Re-evaluation of Dee in Alice Walker’s ‘Everyday Use’” writes in response to Alice Walker’s short story Everyday Use. Farrell’s article is published by Newbury College in spring of 1998 in Studies in Short Fiction (179). Farrell in her article writes to argue that although Dee is inconsiderate and egotistical—supporting what she is arguing against— to a certain degree, she offers a way for a modern African American to manage with the harsh society that is, in a few ways more substantial than that described by Mother and Maggie— which is her thesis (179). Most people who have read Walker’s short story Everyday Use are prone to agree that the character Dee is ‘shallow,’ ‘condescending,’ and ‘manipulative,’;
Walker, Alice. "Everyday Use." Literature for Composition. Ed. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. 10th ed. New York: Pearson, 2014. 1125-1131. Print.
No matter where one is from or where one finds themselves today, we carry with us in some way or another a specific heritage. Certain events and circumstances can lead to someone trying to forget their heritage or doing everything in their power to preserve that heritage. Alice Walker’s “EveryDay Use” was published in 1973, not long after the civil rights movement, and reflects the struggles of dealing with a heritage that one might not want to remember (Shmoop). Alice Walker is well known as a civil rights and women’s rights activist. Like many of her other works she uses “Everyday Use” to express her feelings on a subject; in this case African American heritage. Through “Everyday Use” it can be seen that Alice Walker has negative feelings about how many African Americans were trying to remove themselves from parts of their African American culture during the time of the short story’s publishment. This idea that Walker was opposed to this “deracinating” of African Americans coming out of the civil rights
The African-American Years: Chronologies of American History and Experience. Ed. Gabriel Burns Stepto. New York: Charles Scribner 's Sons, 2003.
...s a tough-as-nails role model as a mother, could easily stand up for herself against a sassy girl like Dee if confronted. Walker has cast Maggie to remain a doormat to Dee’s antics which raises the questions whether or not she believes that African-Americans in today’s society should remain subservient to a more traditional African heritage or rely on the heritage that they and their forefathers have created for themselves in this country. I believe that Walker message is that a person’s heritage comes more from the connections that bind the generations together than a certain area, culture or country.
The Nation of Islam, which Malcolm X was an important member of, is not a religious organization as the name suggests but rather an organization whose goal was to make the lives of African Americans better instead of actually teaching the proper ethics of Islam. One of the main objectives of this organization was Black Nationalism, through which Black leaders can control the areas where there is a majority of African Americans. This cause was greatl...
Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.” Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing, Compact. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner., and Stephen R. Mandell
Everyone is raised within a culture with a set of customs and morals handed down by those generations before them. Most individual’s view and experience identity in different ways. During history, different ethnic groups have struggled with finding their place within society. In the mid-nineteen hundreds, African Americans faced a great deal of political and social discrimination based on the tone of their skin. After the Civil Rights Movement, many African Americans no longer wanted to be identified by their African American lifestyle, so they began to practice African culture by taking on African hairdos, African-influenced clothing, and adopting African names. By turning away from their roots, many African Americans embraced a culture that was not inherited, thus putting behind the unique and significant characteristics of their own inherited culture. Therefore, in an African American society, a search for self identity is a pervasive theme.
The drawings, black figures, and painting techniques of Kara Walker symbolize the abuse and negligence of African Americans when they were brought by the British colonies in 1619. Walker ambitions are to make others aware of this horrific event by seeing it as “a dialogue […] of a racial struggle.” However, in
Alice Walker is a well-known African- American writer known for published fiction, poetry, and biography. She received a number of awards for many of her publications. One of Walker's best short stories titled "Everyday Use," tells the story of a mother and her two daughters' conflicting ideas about their heritage. The mother narrates the story of the visit by her daughter, Dee. She is an educated woman who now lives in the city, visiting from college. She starts a conflict with the other daughter, Maggie over the possession of the heirloom quilts. Maggie still lives the lifestyle of her ancestors; she deserves the right of the quilts. This story explores heritage by using symbolism of the daughters' actions, family items, and tradition.
Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.” Robert DiYanni, ed. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 6th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007.
Every possible type of character is displayed in this short story. Dee starts out the story as a stereotypical light-skinned black person. Feeling as though she was better than everyone else was because her: waist was small, skin was light, a nice grade of hair, and she was somewhat educated. Dee was in a hurry to get out of the country and never come back. She wrote to her mother saying "no matter where we choose to live, she will manage to come see us. But she will never bring her friends" (Walker 63), letting everyone know that she thought she was too good to continue to take part in her heritage. Maggie was portrayed as a flat character. The reader is not told much about her, and she never changes throughout the whole story. The mother would be the static character. She is seen as an older women set in her ways from life experiences, and from what she had been taught growing up black in the south. She made up her mind that the two family quilts would go to Maggie and she did not give it a second thought. Dee is also the dynamic character round. She is dynamic when she returns home to the country. She had previously said she would not bring any of her friends home, but when she gets there she is accompanied by a gentleman. Other aspects of her dynamics are displayed when she changes her name to "Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo". She went from dyeing and hating her upbringing to wanting to take a piece of it with her back to the city. To show off where and what she comes from. Dee is truly a round character. Walker did an excellent job with these characters especially Dee.
In “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 lives poor in the Deep South while Dee has moved onto a more successful life. Mama and Maggie embrace their roots and heritage, while Dee wants to get as far away as possible. During her return, Dee draws her attention to the 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.
Walker, Alice. "Everyday Use." Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: Harper Collins, 1991.
The story makes clear that Dee is equally confused about the nature of her inheritance both from her immediate family and from the larger black tradition. Dee struggles to move beyond the limited world of her youth, and it shines through by her materialistic attitude and hardship she gives her family. Given the self centeredness and aesthetic appeal she gives, Dee still has a lot of learning to do, and still has to understand herself and will do so from the future experiences in her life.