Comparing 'Everyday Use And A Dream Deferred'

Tuten shows her readers that what Dee wants is superficial and that Maggie has a better understanding of heritage. Susan Farrell states in her article that in the story, Mama’s views of Maggie are not accurate. She makes the point that perhaps Mama’s views of Dee are not accurate either, because the story is told from Mama point of view and we never hear Dee’s side of the story (179). Farrell believes that Mama views Dee as a sort of goddess, she may even envy her. Susan states that, “Dee inspires in Mama a type of awe and fear more suitable to the advent of a goddess that the love one might expect a mother to feel for a returning daughter” (180). Later in the article, Farrell makes the point that what Mama’s thinks Dee wants may not actually be what she wants. This could just be a perception of what Dee wants. Farrell also points out other instances in the story that shows Dees actions contradicting Mama’s thoughts.

     In this story, Dee is completely unappreciative. One can get the feeling that the mother in the story had worked long and hard rearing her daughters, and has even gotten Dee into college somehow. Dee returns with her college education and new personality trying to preach to her mother and sister about what they are doing wrong. Plenty of times Dee spoke down to her mother and little sister, Maggie.

Maggie the younger sister lived with her mother and liked the life of her living with her mother. Dee didn't like that poor old-fashioned life and she wants to be rich and to forget about this poor family and to live her actual way of life as an African-American. Mama liked their way of life and didn't want to change it and also Maggie liked it and didn't want to change it.

values. Mama was proud of her skills on the farm. She knew her heritage, even if she couldn't read or write, and was proud of it. She could tell you the why and the who. Maggie in her self-defacing way also displayed real attachment to her heritage. Dee on the other hand appeared to be more

The behavior of overlooking her sister's, Maggie, and Mama's feelings since her childhood to the present indicates Dee's character as a person who disregards others. Mama ponders that while the house where they used to live burned to the ground; Maggie was burning, her "hair smoking and dress falling off her in little black papery flakes." Although she saw that Maggie needed her sister's aid, Dee stood "off under the sweet gum tree" at a distance (87). Walker reveals that Mama still finds Dee carrying her self-centeredness when she excludes herself from the pictures and "never [took] a shot without making sure the house is included" (89). Dee wants to capture the signs of poverty from her past so that she can show how much success she has gained in spite of being poor to her friends. Dee is so egotistical that she declares her sister is "backward enough to put [the quilts] to everyday use" (91) whereas she considers herself smart and would appreciate the quilts by hanging them. Her coldness and lack of concern make

She plays both the father and the mother’s role to her two daughters. The narrator stated, “I can work outside all day, breaking ice to get water for washing” (Mama). This informs the reader that there is no man in the house to do this; therefore, the narrator has to do it. Also, Mama is uneducated. Mama said, “After second grade the school was closed down” (Mama). The narrator stated this in order to let the reader know that the last grade completed by her was second grade and to show how low of an education she has. It also informs the reader how heritage is followed, since only one of her daughters is going to school. In the short story, Mama’s relationship with her daughters is shown to be different from one daughter to the other. Mama mostly always favored Dee, and has good hopes for her future: “[W]e raised money, the church and me, to send her to Augusta to school” (Mama). This informed the reader that Mama would put Dee on top, and then Maggie on bottom. Although Mama preferred Dee, she would spend most of her time with Maggie and got along better with her. The narrator always talked about how Dee would make her mother and her sister Maggie’s self esteem go down: “She washes us in a river of make believe, burned us with a lot of knowledge…” (Mama). The reader can understand how superior Dee was to her sister and mother and how she would put them down.

This will surely lead her to break ties altogether with Mama and Maggie. Dee’s actions leading up to the end show her drifting apart and it is assumed she will never return to the

Characterization is an important component in short story writing. In the short story "Lamb to the Slaughter" written by Roald Dahl, we are introduced to Mary Maloney, a pregnant housewife who recently found out that her husband is going to leave her. Mary develops into a very complex character as the events of the short story unfold. Mary is a typical housewife, waiting on her husband hand and foot. She loves him dearly, but as the short story unfolds, we see that he does not share the same feelings. Mary, unable to handle the rejection, lashes out and kills her husband. We then see Mary’s character transform before our eyes and the once loving, dutiful housewife becomes a very devious, manipulative and cold hearted character. She manages

The fear of loosing the culture and heritage leads Dee back home. The possessions that she asks for are a small way to regain a portion of life she has forgotten. Dee does not accept the lifestyle that Mama and Maggie are living. ?You ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie. It?s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still

Dee was considered Ms. Johnson's perfect child, she was "lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure" ( Walker 1). So initially, she always got her way. Dee also knew what it was she wanted and she only wanted the nicer things. She wanted things like " A yellow organdy dress to wear to her graduation from high school; black pumps to match a green suit she'd made from an old suit somebody gave her" (Walker 2). Ms. Johnson and her family were not the richest, so all of her daughter's commands of what she wanted were out of Ms. Johnson's reach. Also because the Johnson's were not financially well off their house was not the biggest either. Dee hated their house, while it burnt to the ground she just had " a look of concentration on her face as she watched the last dingy gray boards of the house fall in toward the red-hot brick chimney" (Walker 2). Ms. Johnson knew Dee hated their old house and was not excited when Dee was coming to visit their new house because it looked just like the old house in some ways.

“Legacy. What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” (Hamilton. Miranda, Lin-Manuel.) The day is September 6th, 1860. It’s early morning as a scream cracks through the silence of the small town. A mother and father, Sarah Weber Addams and John Huy Addams, wait patiently for their ticket to a legacy. The ticket is punched, but with the name of their newborn daughter, not either of their names lucky enough to be written upon the chosen slip of history. It’s now two years later, Jane’s mother dies, leaving her without a maternal-figure in her young life. It takes five years before her step-mother becomes a part of her life. By now, Jane is seven

Mama even has a fantasy about being reunited with her eldest daughter on the Johnny Ross Show, as they embrace and weep in each other’s arms because Dee is a girl who has finally “made it” (Walker par 3). Through-out the beginning of the story, Mama sings her daughters praises, speaking of her education and her beauty. She compares Dee against her younger sister Maggie, “Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure” (Walker par 10), but her praises remain only on superficial good qualities that Dee possesses. Although Mama speaks highly of her daughter, the tone that Walker writes Mama’s attitude gives the reader an understanding that Mama was slightly resentful toward her daughter, and had hard feelings for Dee’s materialistic love for the finer things in life. “Dee wanted nice things… Often I fought off the temptation to shake her” (Walker par 12). Mama also mentions Dee’s hatefulness toward the family home, and even had her suspicions of Dee’s hatred for Maggie (Walker par 11), which hints to the readers that Dee’s deeper character flaws do not go unnoticed by Mama.

Mama becomes extremely discontented with Dee’s behavior as she tries to calmly explain that some heritage has already been promised to her younger sister Maggie. Dee refuses to listen and continues to argue by stating “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! She’d probably be backward

Now all of a sudden she has Black Muslim family and wants to impress them so she returns to grab things that are part of her family’s heritage. That are only interested in what they stand for and not for whom they stand for.  Then as soon as she pays a visit to her home, she picks up and walks out again.  It is obvious, to her heritage is for show not for living. The situational irony is present as well. Selfish Dee expects to be able to just walk into Mama’s house and take what she wants. Instead, Mama finally realizes that Maggie deserves the quilts because she understands her heritage. Mama actually understands what Dee is becoming and decides to give the quilts to Maggie.

being vaguely unhappy, and she is very apprehensive about it. She rambles about how Maggie will marry John Thomas and after that she can relax and be free and sit in her house and sing church songs to her self. Tuten suggests that Mama can only portray seeing herself being alone, being involved in activities she thinks she is not good at. So when Dee tries to change her mother’s perspective Tuten thinks it should be view in a positive matter then it being criticizes. Which is why she reiterates that since its told in Mama’s perspective we really don’t know, because maybe if it was written from Dee’s perspective we could have gotten a different point of view of this problem.