Alice Walker Everyday Use Summary

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, is a story of a black family composed of a mother and her two daughters: Maggie and Dee. Walker does an excellent job illustrating her characters. There are all types of characters in this short story from round to static. Dee is a flat character, yet Walker uses Dee’s character to warn people of what might happen if they do not live properly. Walker describes Dee’s character as arrogant and selfish, and through Dee’s character one is allowed to perceive the wicked effect of an egotistical world.

As the two sisters have different appearance and personalities, they have different perspectives on heritage that contrast each other. 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 with the quilts." Dee, on the other hand, thinks of heritage as something that has an extrinsic value, for example its aesthetic value as an antique. She believes that the proper way to accept and preserve her heritage is to not put it into her everyday use but to cherish it only as an accessory. Such an idea is revealed when Dee says, "Maggie can't appreciate these quilts! She'd probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use." When the mother asks Dee what she would do with the quilts, she says, "Hang them" (1177), which shows that Dee thinks of the quilts only as tangible antiques.

In Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use" Mama is the narrator. She speaks of her family of two daughters Maggie and Dee. Through the eyes of two daughters, Dee and Maggie, who have chosen to live their lives in very different manners, the reader can choose which character to identify most with by judging what is really important in one’s life. Throughout the story three themes consistently show. These themes show that the family is separated by shame, knowledge, and pride.

Alice Walkers “Everyday Use”, is a story about a family of African Americans that are faced with moral issues involving what true inheritance is and who deserves it. Two sisters and two hand stitched quilts become the center of focus for this short story. Walker paints for us the most vivid representation through a third person perspective of family values and how people from the same environment and upbringing can become different types of people.

Alice Walker is a writer of many powerful short stories, novels, essays and poetry. She used her work to bring black women’s lives to the main focus, such as the rich and important in the US American Literature. In the short story “Everyday Use” written by Alice walker, she showed the conflicts and struggle throughout the African- American culture. “Everyday Use” addresses the dilemma with African Americans, trying to escape prejudice and poverty. The short story “Everyday Use” focuses on the encounter between a mother and her daughters. The setting of the story takes place in the driveway of the mother’s house. The mother and her youngest daughter Maggie wait for her oldest daughter Dee and her male friend to visit from school. Alice

In “everyday Use,” Alice Walker tells a narrative of a mother’s frustrating relationship together with her two daughters. At this facet, “,Everyday Use”, tells that how a mom little by little refuses the cursory values of her older, successful daughter at the aspect of the useful values of her younger, much less lucky daughter. On a deeper outlook, Alice Walker takes on the theme of heritage and its norms as it applies to African-Americans.

People who suffer from oppression share one thing in common: in their life, they will have the opportunity to take a stand to free them from their situation or back down and be trapped forever. This life changing decision is made when the oppressed realizes that the situation is not only affecting them but their loved ones as well. This is the point the author Alice Walker makes in her story “Everyday Use.” After witnessing how Dee’s suppressive power over her sister Maggie, Mama makes the decision to stop feeling oppressed by her daughter Dee and becomes proud of herself in order to defend the humble life that she and Maggie have lived despite Dee’s shameful perception of it.

The short story “Everyday Use” is about an African American Woman and her two daughters during the progressive age. The story was written by Alice Walker and published in 1973. The story opened with the narrator, known as Momma, standing in the yard awaiting the arrival of her older daughter Dee. During this time she gives readers insight into her lifestyle, and also her personality traits along with those of her two daughters. This immediately gives readers information on the major differences in their views.

One way that Walker illuminates the change in Mama’s perspective over the course of the story is through her use of conflict. It is no question that Mama and Dee have different views on life and their beliefs towards certain cultural sentiments differ greatly. The conflict shown between these two characters helps the reader identify Mamas realization of her view on life, making it evident that things such as the quilt referenced in the story were not meant to be hung up on the wall, but to be used on a day-to-day basis. “...the spirit of God touches me and I get happy and shout. I did something I never done before: hugged Maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands…” (Walker 6). By including this rivalry of which family member receives the quilts, Walker is expressing how experiences from Mama’s past -- like that of her using homemade quilts as a child -- overtake Dee’s beliefs on how certain things should be used. While conflict

As Joe Sarnowski interprets “She has left the family’s rural and impoverished state in pursuit of a college education, and she returns with a strong appreciation for African heritage. The appreciation is initially shown in her manner of dress (the clothing consists of “yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun,” earrings “hanging down to her shoulders,” and “Bracelets dangling and making noises” [52]) that appears—at least stereotypically—African” (Sarnowski 274) Dee takes on an African name of Wangero which further expresses her heritage. Dee’s idea of heritage is embedded within material objects which is evident upon her sudden interest of the churn top, she recognizes it as a piece of art and sees it for what it if aesthetically rather than what the churn is actually intended to be utilized for. She looks at the benches and deems it as an artifact and she quote “they’re priceless” (Walker 422) at that moment and time Dee’s mother comes to realization that she should not give away the items such as the delicate quilts to Dee but rather to Maggie since she shares the same option as her mother. Dee puts up the argument “She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” (Walker 422) Thus showing sudden interest in the older quilts when she was noted deeming them old-fashioned and out of style when she was offered the quilts upon

n the short story "Everyday Use," by Alice Walker, a mother and one of her daughters argue over who should get some old quilts. The quilts are valuable to the family, made from clothing family members wore, going as far back as the Civil War. While who gets the quilts seems most important, there is actually a character who gains more by the end of the story. The mother starts the story feeling unimportant and ignorant, especially in the eyes of her daughter, Dee. But by the end of the story, the mother gains pride and self-respect in a way she never has before.

Dee wants to keep the quilts to show off her heritage and hang them on her wall as decorations; she thinks her sister will not appreciate them and will put them to everyday use. Maggie agrees to give up her promised quilts because after all, she “can 'member Grandma Dee without the quilts” (Schmidt 352). However, Mama will not let Dee keep them because deep inside, she knows that Maggie deserves them. Maggie learned how to quilt from aunt Dee, who learned how to quilt from Grandma Dee; therefore, she will be able to keep their culture and their history alive. After this decision, Wangero responds furiously, “You just don't understand […] your heritage” (Schmidt 323), and suggests that the quilts have a materialistic a value that has to be preserved in order to maintain the family's African heritage. Ironically, the quilts are not valuable because they are old and their ancestors sewed them; instead, they are priceless because they represent a tradition that many hard working black women followed for years. The author suggests that Maggie has an understanding her sister never will; she understands the real meaning of African heritage.

The Characterization of Dee in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” How do we characterize? We learn how to characterize by interacting with people. Their actions, thoughts, and what they say about others, or certain topics helps us to characterize them. Difficult situations will help reveal one’s real character rather than assuming it. In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” the author characterizes Dee by what she does, what she says, and what others say about her.

Thesis: In Alice Walker short story “Everyday Use”, Mama embodies the idea of everyday use by being dedicated, skilled, and a hard working.

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is a short story written to exhibit the contrasting natures of individuals in a southern family. In this story, three characters of the mother, Dee/Wangero, and Maggie are highlighted. Similarities between the mother and Maggie are drawn throughout, describing both characters as loyal to their southern cultural roots.