Everyday Use By Alice Walker Analysis

In the short story “Everyday Use,” by author Alice Walker tells a story told from the perspective of Mama, a "big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands". In the story, Dee (the eldest daughter) is shown to be ashamed of her culture and heritage, once she goes off to college. Maggie is the youngest more nervous and socially divided daughter, stays with Mama as Dee attends college. One of the themes in this short story is the conflicts and struggles within African American community and culture. In the story Dee and her boyfriend go to visit Dee’s mother and younger sister Maggie. The actions Walker’s characters take, as well as their physical traits, are symbolic of their relative to their culture and heritage. For example, Dee’s boyfriend has answers a Muslim name and doesn’t eat pork and collard greens, thus refusing to take part in the traditional African-American culture
Maggie, the youngest, Mama describes her in harsh terms. Maggie is described is more of shyness, limitations, uneducated, and unsophisticated. After being burned extremely in

She is characterized by good looks, ambition, and education (Mrs. Johnson, we are told, collects money at her church so that Dee can attend school). Dee’s education has been extremely important in forging her character, but at the same time it has split her off from her family. Mamma says, “She used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks’ habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice” (Walker). Dee, in other words, has moved towards other traditions that go against the traditions and heritage of her own family: she is on a quest to link herself to her African roots and has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. In doing so, in attempting to recover her “ancient” roots, she has at the same time denied, or at least refused to accept, her more immediate heritage, the heritage that her mother and sister