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Alice walker short story everyday use
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Is the revival of an ancestor’s heritage worth it? In the short story “Everyday Use” Alice Walker describes a time Dee comes home to visit her family, her mom, and her sister, Maggie. When Dee arrives she quickly announces that she changed her name to reflect her African heritage. This sets up a struggle between Dee and her family over whose heritage more accurately describes them. During the struggle Dee’s mom realizes that she has a history of giving Dee everything she asks for at Maggie’s expense. During the conclusion of the story the Mom decided to stand up for Maggie and keep the quilts for her. Dee wanted to protect these quilts in order to pay homage to her heritage as well as keep them from being used everyday. Walker uses tone, diction, …show more content…
The disrespect and irony can be seen when Dee changes her name from a family name to a name that an ancestor could have had while still in Africa. After her Mom finds out she has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo she confronts Miss Wangero about this blatant disrespect, “You know as well as me you were named after your aunt Dicie” (Walker 488). Dee’s name had been her Aunt’s, her Grandmother’s, and her Great Grandmother’s. Dee’s name was a family tradition that could be traced through 4 generations. Dee’s mother went on to say, “I could have carried it back beyond the Civil War through the branches” (488). Dee’s name could had been in the family since before the Civil War. Dee’s only defense for abandoning this family name was that she didn’t want to have a name that was handed down from a slave master. Dee says “ I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.”(488) It’s ironic that Dee would choose to give up the traditional family name in order to pick up a name someone could have had in Africa. It’s ironic to drop a tradition in order to revive one that may or may not have ever been observed by their family. It’s ironic because Dee lost her family’s tradition in order to save one that someone else …show more content…
When Dee returns and announces that she would be using a new name in order to reflect her African heritage her Mom becomes annoyed and starts to find her attitude ridiculous. After Dee tells her Mom that she no longer goes by Dee, Mom replies, “What happened to ‘Dee’?”(488). The fact the Mom asks about these changes exemplifies this annoyance she has with Dee. When Dee explains she changed her name because she’s oppressed her Mom shows that she finds the attitude ridiculous by pointing out it is a family tradition spanning more than 4 generations. When Dee starts asking to have the items that her Mom and Maggie need for everyday use with the intent to appreciate it as art, it only furthers how much she irritates her Mom. Dee had been offered one of the quilts before she went to college Dee thought they were, “old-fashioned, out of style.”(490). It’s after Maggie agrees to give Dee the quilts that her Mom realizes that she has always given Dee everything she wanted even at Maggie’s expense. Mother had an epiphany about how to handle the situation, shown when she says, “Something hit me on top of the head”, “just like when I’m in church and the spirit of God touches me”(492). Dee’s attitude had annoyed the Mom so much she had this realization. For once the Mom decides to stand up against
In conclusion, Dee’s three conflicts include Dee vs. Southern Heritage, Dee vs. Maggie, and Dee vs. Mama. Dee gave up her heritage, and she lost her appreciation for her family. She belittled her mother, her sister, and her family’s history. In the end, Mama finally stood up for Maggie; this was something that had never happened to Dee, or Wangero, before. In brief, Dee lost her touch with reality and with her supportive
The quilts hold a special meaning to mama because they were made out of the clothes of her past family. The using of the quilt demonstrate that mama has inherited the understanding of her heritage. Dee adopted the African culture, the name change from Dee to Wangero and the description of her when she first met mama and Maggie suggest that Dee symbolize the Black Power Movement, which becomes her identity in the story. Also apart of Dee identity was that she held herself in high esteem. “She wrote me once that no matter where we “choose” to live, she will manage to come see us, but she will never bring her friend.” Pg This shows that Dee see herself belonging to a high intellectual and social class than Mama and Maggie. Maggie scars symbolizes the hardship of African Americans unlike Maggi, Dee doesn’t have any scars which also tell the readers that Dee live a life of privilege. Dee lack of knowledge about her newly adopted African culture is equivalent to the lack of knowledge of her American culture. Walker argues the responsibility of who should define the African American culture. The responsibility shouldn’t be left to someone who possess no true identity or who is unclear about the meaning of her identity. African American must own all aspect of their heritage which includes the painful and unpleasant parts. The mother refuse to call Dee (Wangero)
Walker tells a story of a mother and her two children, where the older has always gotten what she wanted. Dee, or Wangero, comes home and immediately goes for items she has wanted, telling her mother that she wants them. Dee continues on, and picks up the family quilts. At this point; however, the mother finally stops her, having promised them to her younger child, Maggie, for her marriage. "[Dee] gasped like a bee had stung her "(64). Never having been rejected before, Dee is surprised and enraged. She had been spoiled all her life, and now someone was opposing her. She goes on to state points that they are priceless and that Maggie would merely ruin them by using them for their actual purpose. "These are all pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear. She did all this stitching by hand. Imagine! (64)." To Dee, the quilts symbolize the history of her predecessors and their life that should be cherished and honored. The mother disagrees by stating that they are merely quilts. Quilts to be used as what they were made, for not a tapestry. As she rejected Dee's want by giving the quilts to a shocked Maggie, Dee supplied a retort. "You just do not understand you heritage (65)". As simple as some history and memories seem, others may not even start to compare. Here, Dee thinks that ; hence, her reasoning is right, she is right. Of course, it also depends on who's memories they are. After all, everyone has their own opinion, even if that
In “Everyday Use,” the quilts play an important role in depicting symbolism of heritage because they signified Dee’s family origins. For instance, Dees’ Grandma Dee, Grandpa Jarrell, and Grandpa Ezra all have pieces of their fabric sowed on to the quilt as a remembrance of who they were and their importance in the family. Nevertheless, she does not see the quilts as valuable, hand-made, pieces of fabric that need to be taken care of and used. Dee misinterprets the essential meaning of the quilts and how they were created because of her understanding to the traditional African culture she became deeply influenced. However, these quilts were a representation of Dee’s significant family members, and they were meaningful to Mama and Maggie because they understood the importance of these quilts that were so carefully sown. “They had been pieced by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and me had hung them on the quilt frames on the front porch and quilted them” (Walker 1129). These quilts not only embraced Mama and Maggie’s family origins, but also, exemplified a profound piece of fabric...
The main objects of topic throughout the story are the quilts that symbolize the African American Woman’s history. Susan Farrell, a critic of many short stories, describes the everyday lives of African American Women by saying “weaving and sewing has often been mandatory labor, women have historically endowed their work with special meanings and significance” and have now embraced this as a part of their culture. The two quilts that Dee wanted “had been pieced together by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and me [Mother] had hung them on the quilt frames on the front porch and quilted them” (par. 55) showing that these quilts were more valuable as memories than they were just blankets. The fabrics in the quilts “were scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty and more years ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell’s paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece, about the piece of a penny matchbox, that was from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War” (par. 55) putting forth more evidence that these are not just scraps, but have become pieces of family history. The q...
Our heritage threads through history past the people who contributed to it, to affect us on a personal level. To be fully appreciated and claimed, it must reside in the heart. Dee understands the heritage of people she doesn't know. In this way, her adopted heritage can be understood intellectually, but it is not felt, not personal, and not truly her own.
Growing up, her family did not have much money. Mrs. Johnson describes their house as having “three rooms, just like the one that burned, except the roof is tin; they don’t make shingle roofs anymore. There are no real windows, just some holes cut in the sides, like the portholes in a ship, but not round and not square, with rawhide holding the shutters up on the outside” (416). Alice Walker uses this to show how ungrateful Dee is of her house and her family. Mrs. Johnson even makes the comment that “no doubt that when Dee sees it she will want to tear it down” (416). When Mrs. Johnson says “it” she is referring to their house. Dee did not like their house that burned down nor did she like the one they lived in. Mrs. Johnson recalls the time when their house burned down the way Dee’s expression were on her face. She wanted to Dee “why don’t you do a dance around the ashes? (415) It seems as if from an early age that Dee never really appreciated her house or any of the things that she had. It is also obvious that when Dee returns, she no longer has the name Dee. She asks her mother the history of her name. Her mother could only go back as far as her grandmother. Dee responds to her mother that “she’s dead” (417), referencing “she” to her old self as well as her old name, Dee. She explains to her mother that “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me” (417).
In “Everyday use”, the contrasting views on heritage between a mother and daughter teaches the lesson that heritage should be value for both it’s usefulness as well as its personal significance. Dee erroneously believes to be affirming her African heritage by adopting an African name and an African appearance. She did not realize that she was discarding her true African American heritage. Due part to her leaving her hometown and becoming an educated young woman, the value placed on family objects differ from the value her mother places on the same family objects. Dee misconducts her heritage as material goods as opposed to her ancestors. Mrs. Johnson makes right use of her heritage by giving use of the objects that her ancestors once made. This suggests that ones heritage is learned and passed down from our ancestors and it is not something that one puts on carelessly.
When Dee comes back home to visit her mother and Sister Maggie she tries to express to them in as many ways as possible how they do not understand their own heritage. Dee tries to inform her mother and sister on their heritage a little by using her grandmother’s handmade quilts before she leaves, but her mother and sister do not understand how they are so important. At the end, Dee tells her mother that she just doesn’t understand her heritage on the way out she tells Maggie “You ought to try to make something of
Dee’s demeanor is totally different from her family’s. Dee is good looking, bold, and eccentric; whereas her mother and sister are more homely and less attractive. Her mother is a “big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands”(Walker 109). Maggie is compared by her mother to “a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car”(Walker 109). Dee, being their opposite, despises what they are and also the fact that she is immediately related to them. Dee also has a serious hate for her childhood home. The house does not meet her standards. It has “no real windows, just some holes cut in the sides” (Walker 110). Her mother thinks,”This house is in a pasture, too, like the other one. No doubt when Dee sees it she will want to tear it down” (Walker111). When Dee arrives she has a camera and takes pictures of the house and her family as if it is a zoo or other attraction and her mother and sister are the entertainment. This reinforces the fact that she believes she is better than them. Dee’s thirst for finer things has caused her to grow her hate for her past; the fact her mother could not provide those things is what makes Dee dislike her so much. Most all of Dee’s internal conflict with her past is blamed on her immediate
Dee is a well-educated, strong, and determined woman. She is very confident about herself and feels as if she’s superior to her mother and sister because she has an education. After coming back home from college, she claims to have a better understanding of their African heritage. She comes to collect the quilts that were already promised to Maggie to display. “’Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!’ she said. ‘she’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use’…’ what would you do with them’ Hang them… (Page 9, Faulkner).” Dee thinks she’s so well educated that she would put the quilt into better use than Maggie would. On the other hand, Maggie is a nervous, shy, kind and good hearted. She is insecure about the way she looks from the burn scars. Mama feels that Maggie’s sensitivity makes her better understand her heritage. When Dee demanded that she takes the quilt, she tells her its ok because she doesn’t need it to remember her grandma, her heritage. “I can ‘member grandma without the quilts (Page 9, Walker).” Mama had a powerful feeling upon thinking about her decision; she understood that Maggie had a better understanding of her heritage than Dee. The difference in Maggie and Dee is their personalities and their value of their
Confusion plays a significant role in Alice Walker short story Everyday Use. In this topic, we can see how each one understands his present life concerning the traditions of his people and culture. The matter of Dee’s name is an excellent example of confusion towards her heritage. Dee decided to change her name for a new one. The new name she chose was Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. The goal of this new name was to support her African ancestors and to back up the oppression implied by taking an American name being a black slave. The mother explains that the name Dee is kind of symbolic to her: “you know as well as me you was named after your aunt Dicie” (28). The mother could trace it back to the time of the Civil War (32). To the mother, this name is significant because it belonged to a particular beloved individual. Dee chooses an African name that better represent her family heritage. She does not realize that by doing this, she is separating from her family. Changing her name is not the only example of confusion in Dee. Dee is confused about the meaning of her heritage, and we can see it in her attitude towards the quilts and other household items. Dee admires the old handmade goods made by her ancestors; such as the hand-carved benches made for the table because the family could not afford to buy chairs. It never comes to Dee’s mind to think that these objects could be seen as symbols of oppression because her family made them since they could not afford to buy them. Dee desires the family quilts, but she sees them just as artifacts suitable for display. Dee does not have any plan to use them for their intended purpose of everyday use. For Dee, the objects are strictly aesthetic. It seems that her admiration reflects a cultural trend of valuing handmade objects, without any sincere interest in her heritage. We can back up this with the fact that she was
Mother remains close to her pulled back and physically scarred more youthful little girl Maggie. As they anticipate Dee's arrival, the reader is given insights about Mama's life and her close relationship with Dee. We discover that Dee constantly needed more than her family history or Mama could offer her. While Dee is insightful and determined, we get the sense that her achievements are more important then her mom and younger sibling. Dee at last appears with a young fellow named Hakim-a-hair stylist, whom Mama calls "Asalamalakim". Dee demands being called by her new name, "Wangero". Both Dee and her sweetheart are more aim on getting ancient objects than really associating with Mama and Maggie. They rifle through Mama's belonging looking for "real" bits of old rustic dark life, an existence that Dee has long back separated herself from. Dee makes twelve or so run down kick in the teeth, hidden as easygoing "talk", coordinated at Mama and Maggie. She demands obtaining old stitches that are implied for Maggie. In the wake of persevering through a passionate beating by her little girl, mother tells "Wangero" to take two different bedcovers not planned for Maggie and leave. Dee advises Maggie to make a big deal about herself and incidentally tells Mama that she doesn't comprehend her own particular legacy. At that point both Dee and Hakim-a-stylist
In Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," the message about the preservation of heritage, specifically African-American heritage, is very clear. It is obvious that Walker believes that a person's heritage should be a living, dynamic part of the culture from which it arose and not a frozen timepiece only to be observed from a distance. There are two main approaches to heritage preservation depicted by the characters in this story. The narrator, a middle-aged African-American woman, and her youngest daughter Maggie, are in agreement with Walker. To them, their family heritage is everything around them that is involved in their everyday lives and everything that was involved in the lives of their ancestors. To Dee, the narrator's oldest daughter, heritage is the past - something to frame or hang on the wall, a mere artistic, aesthetic reminder of her family history. Walker depicts Dee's view of family heritage as being one of confusion and lack of understanding.
Heritage is one most important theme in the entire world; it has an influence on everyday routine. At the beginning of the day mama receives a letter from her eldest daughter Dee saying that she’s coming after her absence for 10 or 12 years since their old house was burned down. Mama was so excited for Dee’s arrival. Mama was strong, she had hands like men, she could kill a pig and cook it by herself, and she was soft like pancakes. She had younger daughter called Maggie, she was unlike Dee. Dee was well educated, had a nice hair and a lighter skin. Maggie was always shy, couldn’t speak for herself, especially when their house was burnt she had scares on her arm due to the flames. The conflict over the family’s home was clear from the beginning