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Recommended: Alice Walker's views on heritage

Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, explores in her short story “Everyday Use” the conflict of class within a family of females through their culture and heritage.

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Waterproof, windproof, breathable, affordable. Guaranteed. www.FroggToggs.com The story centers around Dee Johnson, her sister, Maggie, and their mother, Mrs. Johnson. Although each possesses the same culture and live in the same environment, Dee chooses to live differently from them. Maggie and Mrs. Johnson are content with living a simple life, through which their heritage signifies pride and usefulness. Not only are they well versed about the family history, but they also utilize the skills that have been passed on to them by their ancestors. Dee, on the other hand, refuses to acknowledge that she is a product of her environment and instead longs for a life built on materialism and pretentiousness.

Dee goes off to school and experiences the world outside of the life she has endured with Maggie and their mother. Her nonconformity goes to new heights. On a return visit home, Dee flaunts not only her male companion, but also her new persona that includes a fashionable wardrode, a new attitude, and a new name. Dee has changed her name to Wangero. She has always despised the fact that she was named after relatives, who she claims has oppressed her. Dee felt oppressed by her birth name because every preceding female rela...

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