More handpicked essays just for you.
Everyday use character analysis dee
Everyday use character analysis dee
Everyday use character analysis essay 123
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, concentrates on the lives of two sisters, Maggie and Dee. Growing up together under the same conditions clearly created two very distinct individuals with contrasting views regarding their past, present, and future. Walker uses quilts to symbolize the heritage and describes the two girls' view on quilts to show their perspectives on heritage. Maggie thinks of heritage as an attachment to her ancestors. She believes the everyday use of the inherited materials, how much ever value they may retain, will keep her connected to her ancestors. She values the attachment to the ancestors more than the inherited material itself. When she gives up the quilts to Dee, she states, "I can 'member Grandma Dee …show more content…
Dee had moved away to attend a college in Augusta. She was the only one from her family to receive that level of education. Her decision to go to school caused a deeper separation gap between her family and her. As Dee is stepping out of the car, “I hear Maggie suck in her breath.” “Uhnnnh.” (Lines 124-125) Dee arrives wearing a stylish dress that is colored brightly with orange and yellow. Walker describes it as, “A dress so loud it hurts my eyes.” (Line 128) She is accessorized with different types of gold jewelry as a sign that she is succeeding on her own. She is marking her independence and showing that she is strong. A significant other accompanied her. It is unclear to the others his connection with her, but he is presumed to be her husband. There was not any sign of affection, which proves that she is not very emotional and does not want to show any signs of attachment towards another individual. This is because years ago she had been left by a man whom ended up marrying a girl from the city. She wants to show she is strong again and does not require a man, or anyone else to make her life seem complete. Dee seems to shut out the world surrounding her. She wants to give off the persona that she does not require others in her life. She can achieve whatever she is set after. She likes having a feeling of power and superior over others. Dee has always seen herself as someone of a higher class, which …show more content…
It showed her definition of wealth and how she appreciates the little things in life without necessarily putting a value on them. Maggie and Dee are two very different characters. Each one lacks in areas that the other seems to possess. The two sisters did not share a bond throughout any part of their life. In fact they did not even say anything to each other until Dee was leaving. They never really cared to speak to each other because Maggie didn’t feel her sister care about her. By the way she use to talk down about her. Dee intimidates Maggie with her fierce ways of getting her point across. Maggie being the shyer of the two does not have a whole lot to say in order to defend her. She depends on her mom to fight her battles. This story has a good moral lesson to appreciate the things you have and to accept who you are. Never let your pride and ego get in the way of your dignity. And, I also believe Alice Walker, was trying to show that no matter how you look to yourself others make their decision off your ways. No matter what Dee had to say mama and Maggie stayed true to how they felt about their heritage, and will continue to live their life and appreciate everything past, present, and future. No matter what love yourself and don’t ever forget or try to change where you come from to be acceptable in someone else’s
Heritage is one of the most important factors that represents where a person came from. In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, this short story characterizes not only the symbolism of heritage, but also separates the difference between what heritage really means and what it may be portrayed as. Throughout the story, it reveals an African-American family living in small home and struggling financially. Dee is a well-educated woman who struggles to understand her family's heritage because she is embarrassed of her mother and sister, Mama and Maggie. Unlike Dee, Mama and Maggie do not have an education, but they understand and appreciate their family's background. In “Everyday Use,” the quilts, handicrafts, and Dee’s transformation helps the reader interpret that Walker exposed symbolism of heritage in two distinctive point of views.
Dee thinks highly of herself because she is academically educated while her mother and sister are not. She flaunts her fortune at her own mother who, along with the church, saves enough money to send Dee to school. She does not even appreciate the sacrifices her mother makes for her on a daily basis. Dee, through a letter, commits to visit Mama and Maggie no matter the rickety accommodations they decide to dwell in (Walker 72). One day when Dee visits her family, Mama and Maggie are shocked to see a stranger exit the vehicle; she is wearing a dress long down to her feet, extravagant gold earrings, and bracelets that makes noise when her arm moves. Her hair is done in an afro with two pigtails wrapped behind her ears (Walker 72). The person they know to be Dee changes her appearance significantly; she even speaks and interacts differently.
After evaluating the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, I came to the conclusion that the narrator made the right choice of giving her daughter, Maggie, the family quilts. Dee (Wangero), her older sister was qualified for the quilts as well, but in my opinion Maggie is more deserving. Throughout the story, the differences between the narrator’s two daughters are shown in different ways. The older daughter, Dee (Wangero), is educated and outgoing, whereas Maggie is shy and a homebody. I agree with the narrator’s decision because of Maggie’s good intentions for the quilts and her innocent behavior. In my opinion Dee (Wangero) is partially superficial and always gets what she wants.
Heritage is something that people see in various ways. When many people think of heritage they think of past generation and where their family comes from. Other people place their heritage on the value of things, such as old quits that are made from something sentimental. In Everyday Use this is exactly how Maggie thinks of heritage. She wants the quits that were handmade out of her grandma’s dresses because to her that is a sign of her heritage. Alice Walker’s story is based on heritage. The narrator of the story has two daughters who could not be more different. One daughter, Dee, is beautiful and cares a lot about finding her place in the world, and about fashion. Maggie on the other hand is very practical. She does not see any reason for fashion and is okay with her placement in this world. This is because she is like her mother. Her mother is someone who has had to work very hard to provide for her daughters. She prefers the hard work and takes pride in what she is able to do. When Maggie comes back to visit she brings her abnormal husband with her. She has changed her name and all of a sudden cares a lot about her heritage. She keeps asking to take things that she knows have been in the family for a while. Her mom is okay with this until she tries to take the quilts that she has already offered to Maggie as a wedding present. This is the last straw for her mom and she tells Dee no, which causes Dee to get angry because she knows that Maggie will actually use the blankets and they will fall apart in a few years. Dee leaves angry and then Maggie and her mom move on with their lives. This is a very effective story because they story shows two very different views, creates entertaining characters, and contains a powerful message...
The idea of heritage is very different from one person to another. The story of “Everyday Use” shows a dynamic picture of two sisters that see their family history and upbringing nearly opposite points of view. The quilts become the catalyst for a cultural battle between Dee’s (Wangero) new “enlightened” lifestyle and Maggie’s contentment with her upbringing.
Education affords the beautiful Dee, who was unscathed in the house fire, the opportunity to leave their poverty stricken existence and to rise above her poor relations. Maggie feels as if Dee takes for granted the life she's been given. Even though Maggie never explicitly states that she is angry or jealous of her sister, it becomes evident in the story. Attempting to take some quilts, Dee realizes Maggie’s anger when she drops the plates in the kitchen and slams the door in outrage. Although she is overcome with anger, her kind heart still shines through as she unselfishly agrees to give the treasured quilts to her sister. Maggie did not want the quilts for their material value and beauty, but for the connection they gave her to her grandmother. This bond is revealed as she states “I can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts.” Being taught the art of quilting by her grandmother gave Maggie a connection with her grandmother that Dee could never take
When Dee arrives at the family home, Maggie and Mama are surprised to see Dee accompanied with a man with hair seemingly everywhere and notice that Dee is dressed in bright colors and has let her own hair "stand straight up like the wool on a sheep" (109).
The mother describes her younger daughter, Maggie, as ."..not bright. Like good looks and money, quickness passed her by," and ."..perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him...That's the way my Maggie walks." The reader already feels the older daughter Dee, although ."..stylish...with nicer hair and a fuller figure...and full of knowledge" is more like the careless person rich enough to own a car. Although Maggie and her mother make attempts to improve the appearance of themselves and their home for Dee's arrival and seem eager to see her, having no relation to Dee the reader is given no reason to like her. Already Walker is placing value on "slow, self-conscious," Maggie, who plans on marrying and staying close to home, and casting, Dee, who is attractive and cosmopolitan, and could conceivably bring greater resources to her sister and mother, in a negative light.
When Dee finds out that her mama promise to give the quilts to her sister, Dee gets very angry and says that she deserves the quilts more than Maggie because Maggie would not take care of them like she would. Dee feels that she can value and treasure heritage more than her sister Maggie. Dee does what she wants, whenever she wants and she will not accept the word no for any answer. “She thinks her sister has held life always in the palm of one hand, that "no" is a word the world never learned to say to her.” Maggie is used to never getting anything. Throughout the entire story, it says that Maggie gives up many things so Dee can have what she needs or
Heritage in a family can be preserved in many different ways. Be it a diary written by your great great grandpa or a pot your grandma passed on to your mum who passed it on to you, nothing compares to the great comfort in understanding ones heritage especially when it involves the deep love and devotion of a strong mother. In the poem "My Mother Pieced Quilts" by Teresa Acosta and the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, both authors use imagery and figurative language to establish a quilt as a symbol for a mothers love of her children to illustrate their themes.
In the story "Everyday Use" the narrator is telling a story about her life and two daughters, who are named Dee and Maggie. The narrator is very strong willed, honest, compassionate and very concerned with the lives of her two daughters. Her daughter Dee is not content with her lifestyle and makes it hard on Maggie and the narrator. The narrator is trying to provide for her family the best way she can. The narrator is alone in raising the two daughters and later sends her daughter Dee to college. The longer the story goes on the more the narrator shows how intelligent and how much she loves her two daughters.
When Dee went to college she came back and seems to be ashamed of her mother, Maggie, and their new house. Maggie wrote to her mother while she was still in college her thoughts about their new house. “She wrote to me once that no matter where we choose to live, she will manage to come see us, but would never bring her friends (P. 257)”. She even changed her name from Dee to Wangero, saying she couldn’t do it any more (being name after the people that oppressed her). Dee was also a very selfish person. She wanted everything for herself. She had always wanted beautiful things all her life. Her mother let her have the butter churn; she went around and wanted more. She wanted her grandmother’s handmade quilts, even though her mother refused to give her. Her mother was saving the quilts for her sister for when she would get married. Dee insisted on having them. She was thoughtless toward her sister. Although Dee was thoughtless, resentful, and demanding towards family, being educated taught her to value her heritage. One the reasons she wanted grandma handmade quilts so bad. Dee education opens her eyes and understanding about family
Quilts symbolize a family’s heritage. Maggie adheres the tradition by learning how to quilt from her grandmother and by sewing her own quilts. Maggie also puts her grandmother’s quilts into everyday use. Therefore, when Dee covets the family’s heirloom, wanting to take her grandmother’s hand-stitched quilts away for decoration, Mama gives the quilts to Maggie. Mama believes that Maggie will continually engage with and build upon the family’s history by using the quilts daily rather than distance herself from
Dee thinks she is better than Maggie and often talks down on her sister. She belittles the family as a whole just based off the difference in the level of their education. Mama often finds herself in the middle but knows Dee in the wrong. Dee feels her family is living in the past now that she has left and came back home a new person. I think of it like Dee represents a world of extreme change, Maggie relentlessly stays the same. Change in life is always good but never forget where you come from. Also you should never look down on others that are in your old shoes. Dee has done both and in this story she don 't look like someone who you would want to visit. For her to down talk on her family the way she has it 's really shows how she lack self-respect and love for her family and their
In the story, Two Kinds by Amy Tan, the most predominant object would be the piano. The mother has it set in her head that her daughter, Jing-Mei can and will become a child prodigy. The mother hires a teacher that lives in their apartment building. Jing-Mei constantly feels like she is a disappointment to her mother. Her mother had very distinct goals for Jing-Mei and this is way she always felt that she was disappointing her.