Everyday Use Literary Analysis Imagine your daughter coming to visit you again after a long, long time away. Soon after she comes, she leaves, fuming and furious at you. In Everyday Use by Alice Walker, this is exactly what happens. After being away for a while, Dee (recently wishing to be called ´Wangero´) comes back to visit her mother, Mama, and her rather tame sister, Maggie. After meeting again and having some small talk, Dee remarks on how amazing the familial quilts which Mama had gotten from her Grandma are. Mama and Dee have a little bit of a conflict after this, which results in Dee storming out of the house in anger. Through characterization, conflict, and symbolism, the author suggests that heritage is to be respected, but not worshipped, and if it can be useful in some way then you should use it. Walker conveys the theme of respecting the quilts by using the characterization of Mama and Dee and the symbolism of the quilts. Dee (Wangero) had just found the quilt and is appreciating it with Mama. ¨...said Wangero. ´These are all pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear. She did all this stitching by hand. Imag´ ine!´ … ´Some of the pieces, like those lavender ones, come from old clothes her mother handed down to her´, I said.¨ (7). Mama and Dee both are observing the quilts, …show more content…
After an argument with Dee (Miss Wangero) about who should get the quilt, Mama finally makes her decision. “I did something I never done before: hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggie’s lap” (8). Mama, the head of the family and the protagonist, chose Maggie over Dee. She decided that she should use what she can, even if it is part of your heritage and is respected. This can be interpreted to mean that we should do the same; to make the most of what we
She went to college after high school and didn’t return home after she graduated. She got married to a Muslim man and she became so concerned with her family’s history. When she arrived, she became so concerned with taking pictures of the farmhouse she grew up in a soon as she got their she didn’t even greet her mother and sister Maggie right away. When she entered the home she immediately began to scan the room for things that she felt were good enough to go into her apartment in the city, she also wanted included things that she felt were good enough to impress her friends and to show her where they are from. When she reached the home, she mentioned a few things that stood out to her which included a butter churn and 2 quilts. The two quilts in particular stuck out to her because the two were hand sew by her grandmothers and aunt , along with her mother. Maggie her sister states, “She can have them, Mama,” She said, like somebody used to never winning anything, or having anything reserved for her. “I can member’ Grandma Dee without the quilts’” (Walker). Maggie her younger sister who still lived at home with her family let her sister know she could have them simply because she knew that it wasn’t the quilts that were going to make her remember she’s remembers the years they spent together unlike her sister who was never really around the house as much as Maggie and this was giving Maggie as sense of pride
Dee tries to convince her mother that Maggie should not be given the quilts because Maggie would "probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use" ( Walker 388) and wear them out. Momma comes back with a hope that Maggie does use them since the quilts have been stored in t...
This alludes that she appears rather mannish in stature. Walker chose her to narrate the story because she is strong-willed and very useful with her hands. Mama is a colored woman that is poor and who has raised two daughters by herself. She has worked hard all her life to acquire what she has. She is the mother of Maggie and Dee “Wangero.” She and Maggie live in a rundown house in an open field, while her successful daughter Dee is assumed to live in a more prestigious home. Mama is determined to still love Dee, even if her daughter looks down on her. Mama remains unafraid to speak her mind and she stands up for what she believes in. One example is when she grabbed the quilts from Dee’s hands and presented them to Maggie. Mama states: “I did something I never done before: hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero 's hands and dumped them into Maggie 's lap” (Walker 6). This quote describes yet another instance of how Mama persevered in a time of pandemonium, showing both of her daughters’ love, despite being
The quilts themselves, as art, are inseparable from the culture they arose from. (topic sentence) The history of these quilts is a history of the family. The narrator says, "In both of them 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 . . . that was from Great Grandpa Ezra's uniform that he wore in the Civil War." So these quilts, which have become an heirloom, not only represent the family, but are an integral part of the family. Walker is saying that true art not only represents its culture, but is an inseparable part of that culture. The manner in which the quilts are treated shows Walker's view of how art should be treated. Dee covets the quilts for their financial and aesthetic value. "But they're priceless!" she exclaims, when she learns that her mother has already promised them to Maggie. Dee argues that Maggie is "backward enough to put them to everyday use." Indeed, this is how Maggie views the quilts. She values them for what them mean to her as an individual. This becomes clear when she says, "I can 'member Grandma Dee without the quilts," implying that her connection with the quilts is personal and emotional rather than financial and aesthetic. She also knows that the quilts are an active process, kept alive through continuous renewal. As the narrator points out, "Maggie knows how to quilt."
As shown above, Mama and Dee have two different personalities which create a conflict between the two characters. Mama and Maggie have a different perspective on the value of household items. Dee believes that the quilt should be conserved and displayed as a symbol of the family’s heritage, however, Mama believe that the quilt is more useful for what they were made
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
There are two different ways of thinking about the traditions and the author realizes and puts them as two characters in the story. The evidence of culture and traditions becomes very clear with the introduction of the family quilt. For example, Dee says that “the quilts are priceless” and decides to keep them as a material substance. Maggie, her sister, also sees the quilt as priceless, but priceless as it relates to her culture. Walker focuses on African American heritage and its value.
Acosta portrays the quilt as a memoir type deal and makes it into a precious piece of herself for her kids to have with them. Walker signifies the quilts as being special to her and her family heritage and refused to give them to someone who won't respect their meaning, even if it is her own daughter. Anything has what it takes to be of some significance and it doesn’t matter what that thing is. What means the most is how valued that significance is and how well the heritage is kept
Alice Walker uses the quilts as the main Symbolism in the story and as mentioned, each character has a different opinion on what these quilts mean to them. Quilts can physically be used as either as type of sheet for the beds or could be used as a decoration. The quilts in this story represents their culture. These quilts have been passed down through the generations of
Dee has left behind her connection to her rural background and instead reclaimed her African heritage. Though as a child Dee was scornful of her mother’s way of life, see now appreciates the quaint house she grew up in, and asks to take a quilt made by her grandmother and planned for her sister to have. The narrator explains Dee as wanting the finer things in life “determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts” (1532). The mother and her church raise money for Dee to go to a better school, and seems to do anything in her power to help her daughter succeed and would give her what she could. Yet with all the mother has done Dee has shoved her raising to the side instead of opportunities made available for by her mother. The quilts symbolize the “heritage” of this family, so when Dee wants them for a decorative purpose but no other need, the mother finally sees one how ungrateful or bling Dee has become, looking down on her mother and sister. Maggie unselfishly was willing to give Dee the quilts and their mother finally sees through that of who they truly belong to,
The family quilts that cause the conflict in this story are made of “pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear” (Walker 162). Dee, the daughter who has “held life in the palm of one hand” and “’no’ is a word the world never learned to say to her” (Walker 157), is the daughter that asked for the quilts. She says she will hang them on her wall, and states that if her sister Maggie got them “she’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use” (Walker 162). Dee is shocked when Mama tells her she cannot have the quilts. What Dee does not understand is what the quilts symbolize. The quilts were sown from her Grandmother’s old clothes and stitched by hand. They symbolize the family’s history and represent memories they have of their grandma. The symbol of the quilts creates the central conflict in the story. The way each daughter treats the quilt reveals her feelings about her family’s history. Dee sees the quilts as something she can show off, hang on the wall and forget the meaning of. Maggie has been promised the quilts, but does not think that they are worth fighting for because she knows she can remember her grandma without them. Mama finally stands up to Dee, and tells her that she promised Maggie the quilts so she could not have them.
Even though Mama describes herself as a person that lacks education and knowledge she honors her heritage in her own way. This is exposed to the reader when Mama questions Dee why changed her name to “Wangero” and explains to her the significance of her name “You know as well as me that you was named after your aunt Dicie” (Walker 98). This shows that Mama values her heritage by naming her daughter Dee, a name that has been passed down by her ancestors. Throughout the story Mama tells the reader the significance behind the value of each object. For example she explains to her daughter Dee the meaning behind the quilts she wants to take with her. Walker explains this by telling the reader Mama’s significance regarding the quilts “Some of the pieces, like those lavender ones, come from old clothes, her mother handed them down to her “ Mama explains to her daughter (Walker 98). Mama’s concern for her traditions and heritage show that she honors them in a very special way despite of Dee’s direct view of her mother appreciation for
Although she may be book smart, she does not have any knowledge about her family history. On the other hand, her sister Maggie has no education but knows plenty about her family. Her new identity does not have true family value. This is why her new identity is self-centered and selfish. When she finds the quilts that she wants, she begs to her mother if she can have them. Wangero in a strong tone, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” and saying “She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use”(Walker). This is significant in the text because Maggie would put the quilts to everyday use because she is proud of her culture and families previous history. On the other hand, Wangero would hang them up and keep them because they look
These quilts were contrived with “scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn”, patterned shirts from their grandfather, and one small piece of blue fabric from “Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform” that he wore during the Civil War (847). All of the stitching on the quilts was “done by hand,” an aspect of the quilts that intrigues Dee more than anything, making them unique from the other quilts that “were stitched…by machine” (848). These quilts represent the cultural heritage of this family, symbolizing the feeling of significance in the African American experience. The quilts quite literally, have history on them, making their value intrinsic. Grandma Dee and Big Dee, who are both tied to the family history, saw value in teaching their offspring about familial heritage and culture, something Dee does not appreciate. Dee perceives the quilts value as something “priceless” and that could not be put to daily use, saying that she would “hang them”, reiterating her refusal to accept the immediate heritage of her family, and also points out her superficial attitude towards material objects; they are something that holds aesthetic value, not historical value (848). Dee cannot appreciate that these materials, although pieced together in a different fashion than initially intended, were lived and suffered in by family members of the past. Dee understands heritage to be something that she displays for herself and those around her, appreciating things on merely a surface level. Maggie, however, states that she can “’member Grandma Dee without the quilts,” exemplifying characteristics of honor and gratitude towards those who came before her (848). Maggie enjoys the quilts because they are visual reminders of specific people, not of some conceptual idea of heritage. Maggie understands that cultivation of her heritage is essential to the Black community’s
To begin with, a quilt is defined as a “coverlet made of scrapes and fragments stitched together to form a pattern” (Webster). The quilt in “Everyday Use” was made by Grandma Dee, Big Dee, and Mama from scraps of dresses and shirts and is part of Grandpa’s Civil War uniform. It is filled with memories and was hand stitched by the family. Mama suggests that Dee take other ones, but Dee rejects the offer because they were “stitched by machine”(Walker, p.114) and the old ones were done by hand. Mama says that she had promised them to Maggie.