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Role of a narrator
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Character analysis essay example
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As we go through life and learn, a story is never one sided. It always has two different sides and two different perspectives of what actually happened. This same concept can be applied to the stories we read. Just because someone is the narrator does not make the protagonist. They could be the antagonist, but they are trying to get you on their side. As you read Alice Walker’s Everyday use, we are taken through the mind of the mother. She takes us on an adventure through her thoughts as her daughter, who is different from her mother, visits. This short story, Everyday Use, is narrated by the mother of the two girls. Since the story is from the point of view of the Mother, it seems like we should naturally side with her. Naturally, we assume …show more content…
Naturally, this creates tension within a family. But how does this relate to the the protagonist and antagonist in this short story? Again, naturally we assume the mother is the Protagonist and Dee/Wangero is the antagonist. In this short story, the point of view is from the mother. The first line of the story tells us this. “I will wait for her in the yard that Maggie and I made so clean and wavy yesterday afternoon” (Walker 1531). The mother also tells us that her and Dee/Wangero do not get along very well. The narrator of the story said, “A pleasant surprise, of course: What would they do if parent and child came on the show only to curse out and insult each other?” (Wallace 1531). The climax of the short story happens when Dee/Wangero wants two quilts that mean so much to the narrator. We can infer this when the narrator says, “These old things was just done by me and Big Dee from some tops your grandma pieced before she died.” (Walker 1535). At the end of the short story, Dee/Wangero basically throws a tantrum and leaves. But at the end, the narrator of the story does not seem bothered by this because she is content with her life as it is. Could this story be seen from the opposite point of view from where Dee/Wangero is the protagonist and the narrator of the story is the antagonist? It is completely possible. In this story, it seems like the narrator has a deep feeling of angst towards
The story also focuses in on Ruth Younger the wife of Walter Lee, it shows the place she holds in the house and the position she holds to her husband. Walter looks at Ruth as though he is her superior; he only goes to her for help when he wants to sweet talk his mama into giving him the money. Mama on the other hand holds power over her son and doesn’t allow him to treat her or any women like the way he tries to with Ruth. Women in this story show progress in women equality, but when reading you can tell there isn’t much hope and support in their fight. For example Beneatha is going to college to become a doctor and she is often doubted in succeeding all due to the fact that she is black African American woman, her going to college in general was odd in most people’s eyes at the time “a waste of money” they would say, at least that’s what her brother would say. Another example where Beneatha is degraded is when she’s with her boyfriend George Murchison whom merely just looks at her as arm
In both Ann Petry’s “Like a Winding Sheet” and Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” the protagonist is also the antagonist. In the story, Like a Winding Sheet its Mae’s husband, Johnson, and in the story Desiree’s Baby it’s Desiree’s husband, Armand. In the beginning of both stories their husband seem to be loving, caring husbands who would never hurt their family. Then, the stories turn in a twist when the husband became insolent and angry toward their wives, but they were feeling furious towards themselves. Johnson was repeatedly getting abused from the outside world and in his mind and he starts to espouse a dismissive image that turned to anger against his wife and eventually he kills her. Armand was angry at his wife because his son turned out
Chang, Lan Samantha. "Hangzhou 1925." Ploughshares 30.1 (2004): 100-106. Academic Search Complete. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.
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
In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use” is about a girl named Dee that is
Alice Walker's Literature “Writing saved me from the sin and inconvenience of violence” -Alice Walker (Lewis n.pag) Walker is considered to be an African American novelist, short story writer, poet, essayist, and activist. Most of her literature is mostly from her personal experiences and is moral to a number of African Americans all over the world. Walker defines herself as a “womanist” which means “the prophetic voice concerned about the well-being of the entire African American community, male and female, adults and children.
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
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.
“I am a large, big boned woman with rough, man-working hands” Mama describes of herself in the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker. Mama, who additionally takes the role of narrator, is a lady who comes from a wealth of heritage and tough roots. She is never vain, never boastful and most certainly never selfish. She speaks only of her two daughters who she cares deeply for. She analyzes the way she has raised them and how much she has cared too much or too little for them, yet most of all how much they value their family. Mama never speaks of herself, other than one paragraph where she describes what she does. “My fat keeps me hot in zero weather. I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water for washing” (Walker, 60). She does not need to tell readers who she is, for her descriptions of what she does and how her family interacts, denotes all the reader needs to know. Although Mama narrates this story rather bleakly, she gives readers a sense of love and sense of her inner strength to continue heritage through “Everyday Use”.
The narrator cannot be the antagonist because no matter how much the wallpaper bothers her, she still knows the difference between right and wrong, “To jump out of the window would be admirable exercise, but the bars are too strong even to try. Besides, I wouldn 't do it. Of course not. I know well enough that a step like that is improper and might be misconstrued” (656). The narrator admits that she has suicidal thoughts because of how much the wallpaper bothers her, but knows that suicide is not the answer, and may be confusing for her loved ones. The narrator’s loved ones would be confused if she committed suicide since they believe she is getting better. The narrator proves her determination to get better when, she claims, “I wish I could get well faster” (649). When the narrator states that she wishes to be better she, is proving that she is motivated to get back to her daily routine. The narrator also knows how much John struggles with his wife not being well that she wants to get better for him. In addition, the narrator declares, “…for my sake and for our child 's sake, as well as for your own…” (652). When the narrator discloses that she wants to get better for John and the baby she reveals what her motivation is to get better, even though the narrator is struggling with the wallpaper she is still continuing to try and get better for John and her newborn
Almost all the stories we had read throughout the semester reflect the conflict within a character. Some of them are physically imprisoned as the woman in The Yellow Wallpaper, others are confined in their own prejudices and emotional lives like the narrator in Cathedral and in Sonny’s Blues or the
The second person point of view helps the reader to connect with the girl in this story. It shows the reader a better understanding of this character and how she is being raised to be a respectable woman. This point of view also gives us an insight on the life of women and shows us how they fit into their society. Through this point of view, the reader can also identify the important aspects of the social class and culture. The daughter tries to assert a sense of selfhood by replying to the mother but it is visible that the mother is being over whelming and constraining her daughter to prepare her for
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...
The human mind is divided into three parts that make up the mind as a whole. These parts are necessary to have a complete mind, just as the members of a family are needed to make up the entire family. The use of components to equal a whole is often exercised in literature. Alice Walker's short story, "Everyday Use," contains the idea of family and of the mind, therefore her work can be evaluated through psychological methods. Through their actions, the characters symbolize the three different parts of the mind: the id, the ego, and the superego.
In this Alice Walker story, the reader meets a girl named Celie. In this novel, Walker takes the reader on a journey through much of Celie’s life. While taking the reader through this tale, Walker draws attention to a number of social aspects during this time period. Through Cilie’s life, Walker brings to light the abuse and mistreatment of African American women from 1910 through the 1940’s. “Women were also regarded as less important than men – both Black and white Black women double disadvantage.