Alice Walker Heritage

In the story, she introduces two sisters with almost opposite personalities and different views on heritage: Maggie and Dee. She uses the contrast between the two sisters to show how one should accept and preserve one's heritage. Beyond the contrast between two sisters there exist the judge figure mom, the narrator and the Dee's irony. The irony on Dee's opinion is the key to understand the story and why the mother let Maggie keep the quilts, which symbolize the heritage.

Because, the quilts had been made by the grandmother’s hands, the work that went into the quilts is the reason for importance of saving or preserving them as a family heirloom. “Maggie”, knows the true value of the quilts, “Dee” seems to view them as any other common blanket. Alice Walker stated in the story that Maggie felt like the world never learned to tell Dee no. That is a direct reference to the mother never standing up to Dee and asserting her rightful place.

Mama had been so excited for Dee’s visit because she hadn’t seen Dee in years, “You’ve no doubt seen those TV shows where the child who has “made it” is confronted, as a surprise, by her own mother and father, tottering in weakly from backstage,” Mama had dreamed of this day to come because she knew she had done something good for her child, something to be proud of. But upon Dee’s arrival both Mama and Maggie had noticed her change as if she was better then them and understood more of African culture because she had an education, “ I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.” Dee had converted not only her name but her clothes and jewelry to make a statement of what “real” heritage is. This quilts led to a controversy between the meanings of their heritage. Ironically for Dee, Mama had offered her the quilts a long time ago but was too interested in appearance rather than the legacy left behind, “ I had offered Dee a quilt when she went away for college. Then she had told they were old- fashioned, out of style.” Then when she comes back, she wants to hang them as décor and doesn’t want Maggie to have them because she’ll ruin them, ““Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” she said. “ She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.”

When talking about how Maggie told Dee she could have the quilts, the writer of an article wrote: “The disappointment that Maggie expresses indicates that the quilts do matter to her; even though her sense of heritage cannot be lost with the loss of the quilts, her sense of heritage causes her

Their grandma’s quilts are some of the most beautiful things I have seen, and they both want them badly. Maggie, Dee, and Mama have a weird family relationship and how they treat each other. Dee also has a weird boyfriend/husband named Asalamalakim. In the story “Everyday Use”, it is a sad and happy story.

Dee realizes the worth of the quilts when she states, “These are all pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear” (477). She also states when Mama tells her that she was planning on giving Dee the quilts, “But they’re priceless! Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use” (477). Then when her mother asked, well what would you do with them, she responds, hang them (477).

When Dee left the home, Maggie was the one who stayed with Mama. Even though Maggie sews, cooks, and clean she had no complaints. I was surprised to find out that she is more like her grandmother Big Dee and I think she preserved the culture. She respects her simple life which Dee abandoned. However, Dee is someone who believes that she is better than what she really is. In my opinion she does not deserve the quilt. She showed no hesitation to change her name from Dee to Wangero. A person who cannot even understand the significance and legacy of their own name might not acknowledge the importance of the quilt and its history. She wants the quilt to swagger around her family heritage by hanging it on the wall. That will give me creeps. How could someone do that to a prestigious family heritage? Later in the book, I think that Mama had made a wise choice to present the quilt to Maggie. By letting Dee to take her quilt, Maggie stands out to be having a mind that is uncorrupted by selfishness. Therefore, she is the one who is qualified to be the caretaker of her family’s

Her mother mentions how the plan was to give the quilts to Maggie when she gets married, and the tone of the conversation changes. After, Dee goes from a mellow tone of voice that changes to a shocked one. She mentions, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!”(Walker, 159) Dee wants these quilts to herself as she shows jealousy knowing that her sister may get the quilts. Dee feels she must talk down upon Maggie to make herself feel better about the situation.

The quilt cause a lot of tension when Dee ask Mama for it. Mama had promised the quilt to Maggie once she gets married. It was an inheritance to Mama from her mother. The quilt symbolizes the family’s heritage because Mama and Aunt Dicie contribute making the quilt. More than a few of their generation contribute in making the quilt; each piece is part of their ancestors. Mama considers the quilt is part of her personal history of the pride, struggle and her connection to the women in her family. It is a family treasure. Dee wants the quilt as a part of a display piece in a museum; she wants to hang up the quilt. On the other hand, Maggie wants the quilt and because she connects with significant values of the quilt, she understands her family

Both cherished it, however, Dee saw the quilts as “priceless” and materialistically wanted to display it as art work, somewhat like showing it off while Maggie would use it to cover up and could make more quilts if need be. The quilts are a testament to the family’s history of struggle and pride. Mama received them as inheritance and for her, they held a value that Dee is unable to fathom. Maggie has won the quilts because she knew and understood the true meaning of her heritage. She was humble and valued the sentiment of her family’s quilt as it showed through her lifestyle.

During an evening after dinner, while Wangero rummages through Walker's trunk, she finds two quilts. The quilts that Wangero holds were sewn by Grandma Dee. The quilts each symbolize Maggie's heritage. For instance, "One quilt is the Lone Star Pattern. The other is Walk Around the Mountain. In both of them are scraps of dresses Grandma Dee wore fifty and more years ago. Another one has bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell's Paisley shirts. And one teeny faded blue piece, about the size of a penny matchbox, that is from Grandpa Ezra's uniform that he wore in the Civil War" (125).

The family’s strong connection is shown to have weak points when Dee’s lack of understanding her history shows. Mama and Aunt Dice’s relationship, women who sewed the quilts, is completely different compared to the relationship of Dee and Maggie, that are sisters that have nothing in common. Dee does not understand the legacy that comes along with her name, that has been passed down for many generations, she does not see the meaning of the quilts that have small parts of clothes that her ancestors wore. These pieces are from historical times in her family’s past, such as times of poverty or war. The quilt reflects her history that contains a sense of

Mama realizes that Dee doesn’t deserve the quilts when Dee explodes on her family and looks at her mother with hatred. Dee doesn’t see the people behind the quilts just like how she doesn’t see the people behind her name. Maggie was a part of the quilt. She could continue the art of quilting. That is a part of her family’s inheritance and heritage. The things Maggie learned from her family created who she was as a woman. Mama takes the quilts from her and

After the mother saw Maggie offering Dee to have quilts, she was proud of Maggie and gave her their grandmother’s quilt instead of Dee. Later the mother told Dee to take one of the other quilts. Dee left telling her mother she did not understand her own heritage. Dee also told Maggie, she needed to try and improve herself. Even though the Maggie was angry when she heard sister asking for the quilts, she wanted her sister have the quilts to show her sister was more important to her than the quilts were. Nevertheless, Dee left with one of the other

When the climactic scene occurs and Dee asks “Can I have these quilts?” (145), Maggie’s first implied reaction is one of surprise and anger; “I heard something fall in the kitchen, and a minute later the kitchen door slammed” (145). But as someone “never used to winning anything, or having anything reserved for her” (146), Maggie succumbs and offers to let Dee have them. Although “Maggie knows how to quilt” (146), she is able to comprehend the deeper personal value of the quilts, and states that she “can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts”(146). Despite their value as an item of everyday use, the quilts are meaningful to Maggie, much in the way they are to her mother who remembers having quilted them with Big Dee. The scraps, the bits and pieces and “one teeny faded blue piece, about the size of a penny matchbox, that was from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War.” (145) hold deep significance to Maggie.