Family Traditions And Values In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

Family traditions, values and treasures are priceless; they are one of a kind and cannot be replaced. In Alice Walker’s short story, “Everyday Use”, the narrator, Mama, believes that the everyday use of her family items is perfectly acceptable. Her eldest daughter, Dee, believes that the items should be preserved. Preserving family treasures and passing them down from generation to generation are key to keeping them alive; however, it can be argued that passing on the skills to make your own family trinkets and treasures is more important. Why is it important to keep the skill? If the item is preserved, then why is it necessary? As shown in the story, the unexpected in life can happen. Mama mentioned that one of her houses burned down. In

She believes in keeping her heritage strong and alive. It can be assumed that she tried to instill her values in both of her daughters, Maggie and Dee. Even though she loves both of her daughters, she knows that her oldest daughter, Dee, has different views and perspectives. Dee believed that the quilts should be preserved; Mama believed that the everyday use of the heirlooms were acceptable. The everyday use of the family heirlooms is completely understandable. In the era that Mama was raised, it can be assumed that those were the only items that the family had. This is why it was important for the women in the family to obtain the skills to preserve the old and create new items. The quilts that cause the main confrontation in the story are a prime example of those skills. Mama stated that the quilts were made from pieces of different dresses worn by her mother and part of the civil war uniform worn by her

Mama knows that Maggie will use them the way they are meant to be used. Mama loved both of her girls; however, Maggie is more like her mother than Dee is. Maggie wasn’t as smart or educated as Dee, but again she learned the skills needed to preserve the family values. Unlike her sister, she will not just stick them on a wall somewhere. With the same views as her mother, she would use with love and care as her mother would use them. Even if they get ripped or ruined Maggie has the family skills to either make a new one or fix the old. Just as her family did over the