Alice Walker’s story entitled “Everyday Use” focuses on an African American family that contends with one another to determine how to embrace heritage. For Mama and Dee, heritage plays a critical role in deciding what path to take in life. On the one hand, the Mama seeks to protect her heritage by being an honest hard-working mother that cares about the people in her life not the resentment she faces for being an African American. On the other hand, Dee tries to ‘modernize’ heritage by creating a new identity after seeking higher education. In turn, Dee creates a driving force between family members through her new identity, education, and desire to obtain the ragged, old quilts. Dee creates a driving force between family members through …show more content…
“Why don’t you do a dance around the ashes? I’d wanted to ask her. She had hated the house that much,” (Walker 471). Determined to create a better life for herself, Dee leaves the residence in search of a new identity. While away, Dee makes it readily apparent that she will still visit her family but will never approve of their ‘choice’ to live in a tarnished broken-down home. “No matter where we ‘choose’ to live, she will manage to come see us. But she will never bring her friends,” (472). Mama’s sentiments highlight the fact that Dee has distanced herself from her family creating a wedge between what is acceptable or not. Dee looks down at Mama and her other daughter Maggie with despair for staying in a home which she is appalled by. When Dee returns to her roots, she no longer bears the same name and wears fancy clothing. Now known as Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, (Dee) arrives in a bright dress with flashy earrings and accompanying jewelry (473). Upon exiting the car, Dee snaps a multitude of photos “making sure the house is included” (472) in every shot. The extent to which Dee goes to ensure every photo has a part of the house in it …show more content…
In Dee’s attempt to acquire the quilts, she exudes an insincere, covetous presence that forces Mama to ‘turn her back’ on Dee. The negative connotation that Mama gets from Dee stems from the flip-flop nature of wanting the quilts. “I had offered Dee (Wangero) a quilt when she went away to college. Then she had told me they were old-fashioned, out of style,” (477). Now, Dee wants the quilts as a material possession for remembering her grandma. Instead of putting the quilts to everyday use, Dee would hang them to honor her grandma and the hand-craftsmanship of her work (477). Upset by Dee’s reasoning and seeing the disappointment in her daughter Maggie’s eyes, Mama puts her foot down and takes control of the situation to preserve her integrity. “[I] hugged Maggie to me… snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggie’s lap,” (478). This quote is important for two reasons: the first is that Mama had done something she had never done before and that was love Maggie in the way she has tried with Dee over the course of her life. Giving the quilts to Maggie showcases the unrealized bond that Mama has with her due to how similar the two are in their beliefs/actions. The second point of significance in the quote is the author’s explicit decision to write Miss Wangero’s hands. Up until that point - after Dee stated her name as Wangero, whenever Dee was
They are waiting for Dee in the yard. The yard symbolizes the contentedness Mama and Maggie have for their current situation and lifestyle; Mama describes the yard as being “like an extended living room” (Walker 427). When Dee and Hakim arrive in the yard, Dee begins to argue with Mama about who should get the quilts, the sentimental value of the quilts, the importance of family and the Johnson family history, and Dee’s distaste for various aspects of Mama and Maggie’s life, Walker is symbolically presented Dee as an irritant or belligerent in Mama and Maggie’s otherwise uneventful life and contented lifestyle. The description of the characters’ appearance and personality fit with the way they are symbolically represented in the story; Mama and Maggie are described as relatively average or below-average intelligence, physically unattractive (Mama innately, Maggie because of her burn scars), unlucky, and otherwise unremarkable. Dee is confrontational, confident, insensitive, gifted, and even wears the symbols of her wealth and prowess in the form of expensive dresses, earrings, shoes, and bracelets (Walker
through she is there with her mom everyday(Cowart 171-72). When Wangero comes back with her boyfriend, she acts like she 's better than them because she found her heritage and she lost what is important to them the mother-daughter relationship. In another source it say “Dee obviously holds a central place in Mama’s world,” so her central place is the reason why all the stuff that she wants she gets especially things that hold heritage value(Susan Farrell 180). The mother-daughter bond that she shares with Wangero is much more special and that bond with her mom should mean more to her then the quilts or anything else with any type of history
Before even truly greeting her mother and sister, Dee takes photo after photo, artfully framing every shot with both her mother and the house that she loathes, but never allowing herself to be in the picture. This was D...
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...
n “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, we hear a story from the viewpoint of Mama, an African American woman about a visit from her daughter Dee. Mama along with her other daughter Maggie still live poor in the Deep South while Dee has moved onto a more successful life. Mama and Maggie embrace their roots and heritage whereas Dee wants to get as far away as possible. During her return, Dee draws her attention to a quilt. It is this quilt and the title of the piece that centers on the concept of what it means to integrate one’s culture into their everyday life.
...cause she had been “savin ‘em for long enough with nobody using ‘em” (12). After Dee gets the picture she walks out of the house and tells her mother “You just don’t understand. . .Your heritage. . .” (13). Dee is in fact the one who does not understand. Dee thinks of heritage to be as tangible as hanging the quilt on her wall or using the churn as a decoration for her table. Her mother, on the other hand, knows about traditions and heritage. Using the quilts would put the memories of their ancestors to everyday use.
The narrator has two daughters, Dee and Maggie. Dee was this cute girl who was super intelligent and sophisticated. She often saw herself as being above her mother and sister and would often make them feel stupid and bad about themselves. "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". She shows that Dee enjoyed making her mother and younger sister feel dumb about themselves because it made her feel superior. Her whole life Dee detested her family and where she came from and couldn’t wait to get away. But, still her mother worked her booty off to provide her with high education and a good life. Dee goes away to college and when she returns she is a completely different person, suddenly interested in her family; photographing them upon arrival. With her guest, new "Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo", invades her mothers house taking everything in like it’s a cute display for her. Finally, when Wangero (Dee) demands that her mother give her some quilts, her mum can not take anymore. She tells Dee that Maggie, not her, will be receiving the quilts and she snaps. "I did something I never had 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. Maggie just sat
Dee, the older sister, wants to hang the quilts on a wall and view her culture from a distance. In fact she even seems ashamed of her family situation. In a letter to her mother Dee says, " . . . no matter where [they] choose to live, she will manage to come and see [them], but she will never bring her friends" (87). She even goes as far as to denounce her name because she claims, " I couldn't bear it any longer being named after the people that oppress me" (89). However, her mother states that she was named after her aunt and grandmother, the very people who made her beloved quilts. She makes it apparent that her idea of appreciating her culture is to leave it alone, especially when she says, " Maggie can't appreciate these quilts! She'd probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use"(91).
Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, wrote "Everyday Use," which tells a story of a rugged, independent mother of two girls who celebrate their African-American heritage in completely different ways. One daughter, Maggie, celebrates her heritage by enjoying and appreciating the use of family heirlooms whereas the other daughter, Dee, feels it is more honorable to display these heirlooms for artistic show. Walker's use of imagery illuminates the story's theme of family heritage and, quite possibly the most respectful way of celebrating such heritage.
Author Alice Walker, displays the importance of personal identity and the significance of one’s heritage. These subjects are being addressed through the characterization of each character. In the story “Everyday Use”, the mother shows how their daughters are in completely two different worlds. One of her daughter, Maggie, is shy and jealous of her sister Dee and thought her sister had it easy with her life. She is the type that would stay around with her mother and be excluded from the outside world. Dee on the other hand, grew to be more outgoing and exposed to the real, modern world. The story shows how the two girls from different views of life co-exist and have a relationship with each other in the family. Maggie had always felt that Mama, her mother, showed more love and care to Dee over her. It is until the end of the story where we find out Mama cares more about Maggie through the quilt her mother gave to her. Showing that even though Dee is successful and have a more modern life, Maggie herself is just as successful in her own way through her love for her traditions and old w...
One situation in particular that Mama brings up is the time when she offers to Dee to bring some of the ancestral quilts with her to college. She claims, “I had offered Dee a quilt whe...
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.
Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," is a story about a poor, African-American family and a conflict about the word "heritage." In this short story, the word "heritage" has two meanings. One meaning for the word "heritage" represents family items, thoughts, and traditions passed down through the years. The other meaning for the word "heritage" represents the African-American culture.
The main characters in this story appear to be polar opposites. Mama, the narrator of the story, describes herself as a "large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands" (paragraph 5). She does not paint an attractive picture of herself, however she goes on to list the many things she can do. Like the items in the setting around her, she seems more interested in practicality, and less interested in aesthetics. Dee, on the other hand, is defined by her sense of style, and does not seem to do anything. When her name was Dee, she hated the objects around her for their lack of beauty and style. When she became a member of the Nation of Islam and changed her name to Wangero, she saw these old items as a part of her heritage and works of art. At no time, however, did she ever have a real use for them.
Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” is a short story about an African American family that struggles to make it. Mama tries her best to give Maggie and Dee a better life than what she had. In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use,” Dee is the older sister and Maggie is younger. Dee is described as selfish and self-centered. Maggie is generous, kind, and cares the family’s history together. She would go out of her way to make sure that her older sister, Dee has everything she needs and wants. Maggie is also willing to share what she has with her sister. Maggie is also shy and vulnerable. Mama is the mother of Maggie and Dee. Mama is fair and always keeps her promises to her children. Hakim-a-barber is the boyfriend