Everyday Use By Alice Walker Analysis

Within all human lives lies possessions, in which define, entice, and support humans everyday lives. More importantly, humans are engrossed in remembrance, and absolutely love to hold on and preserve certain possessions to hold their emotional importance. The problem with this action sometimes is that the physical use of the item is inhibited just so the item can be put on display. American writer Alice Walker devised a short story that directly comes in contact with these topics. This story, entitled Everyday Use, is about a mother with two daughters, both in which possess many different characteristics. Within this story, Walker challenges the ideas of how everyday items should be used and preserved. For Example, Sylvia Paine states, “ A woman who purchased a lakeside cabin that was owned by her grandmother describes the childhood memories it evoked and her hesitation in purchasing the cabin.” Heirlooms are important objects for all families, but are they really worth the glory bestowed upon themselves? Within Walker's Everyday Use, there are three central messages that can be derived.

Jacques Derrida had once said that culture is something in which "everything is arranged so that it is this way." I believe that culture is the opposite as it creates the way in which you perceive external forces rather then it being the external forces arranged in a specific way. Culture therefore allows one to become informed about foreign cultures to which one is then to perceive the culture a specific way. Culture is the multitude of many factors in which it consistently informs one 's perception of the world surrounding them as well as the individuals.

Through contrasting family members and views in "Everyday Use", Alice Walker illustrates the importance of understanding our present life in relation to the traditions of our own people and culture. Using careful descriptions and attitudes, Walker demonstrates which factors contribute to the values of one's heritage and culture; she illustrates that these are represented not by the possession of objects or mere appearances, but by one's lifestyle and attitude.

Everyone deserves an equal chance at education without being judged or discriminated against because of their race, background, beliefs, or anything looked at that makes them stand out from others. I was introduced to a short story called “Indian Education” by Sherman Alexie about a boy named Junior and the struggles he faced throughout school because he was Native American. I was also introduced to another short story called “Graduation” by Maya Angelou about a young woman named Marguerite Johnson who was proud of her background being “Negro” even if it included some unfairness. Throughout history discrimination against one because of their background has led to many disagreements and act of violence for fairness. Not only discriminated, some have a set epitome of what they should be to fit in. No matter the discrimination, background is something to be proud of, which Junior and Marguerite were.

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is told from the point of view of “Mama” who goes by no other name. She could be referred to as Mrs. Johnson, but the line, “Who ever knew a Johnson with a quick tongue?”(Walker, 337), leads me to believe that Johnson is her maiden name. To be a mother is who and what she is, in this story, with no especial plans for when her youngest gets married. While she would be considered the protagonist, I feel that both Maggie and Dee are as equally integral to the story, and all have their own - and share - antagonists. The short story may be told from Mama’s point of view but the plot truly revolves around all three. Each of the three main characters have at least one antagonist in common: the time period in which

Heritage can either be passed on or changed; this is shown in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use.” Three characters represent the way heritage is handled: Mama, Maggie and Dee (Wangero). The issue of heritage begins with Dee’s departure and then arrival back to her family with a new culture. Walker uses ambiguity in her arrangement and figurative language to display the problems every generation faces. Heritage is altered in the eyes of different people.

As Alice Walker, author of “Everyday Use,” lets the mother tell the story from her point of view. We see that the mother and one of her daughters, Dee, have different views in some of the symbols that are being illustrated.

“Everyday Use” written by Alice Walker is a good eye-opening short story about heritage. It describes techniques that families all around utilize in order to honor their loved ones. I believe Walker titled her story “ Everyday Use” because in both of her ideas that Walker used in order to honor heritage are the things we use everyday. Obviously we us our names everyday, but in addition, we use physical objects daily as well. Dishes, clothing, and crafts like quilts are things we might use every day that are often left in the family the passing of a relative.

“Everyday Use” Historical Criticisms explored the disconnection that people can sometimes have depending on their education. Alice Walker successfully shows the disconnection by comparing two ends of the spectrum of generation. Taking the historical context, it plays a major role in the way this short story is viewed. It was a time where people of color had a different and difficult experience getting an education. When the narrator was talking about having an education it was important because she wanted to be on a television show her success and how far she went. However Dee see’s her mother and Maggie differently as if they don’t know how to appreciate heritage as an art. For example, when she wanted the quilts that were suppose to go

Parents are often asked by their kids, which child is their favorite? Most of the time the parent professes that their love is equal. However, in the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, the author presents Mama with a conflict between her desire to give the quilts to her elder daughter, Dee, who has become sophisticated and arrogant or her younger daughter, Maggie, who is innocent and crippled socially. They are disagreeing over who should receive these quilts because that hold great prestige due to their age, and ultimately Mama decides to entrust them with Maggie with due to her greater sense of culture and heritage. Walker is trying to explain the importance of humbleness and love for one’s family through the actions of Mama and Maggie.

From “breaking ice to get water for washing” (Walker 311) to getting “up early” (Hayden 1) to make “banked fires blaze” (Hayden 5), it is no secret that parenting can be a physically-demanding job. By making sure their children simply survive, parents often push emotional and mental “offices” (Hayden 14) to the side. In “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, this phenomenon occurs, as the parent-child relationships are extremely traditional. Both works of fiction can teach parents that while putting food on the table is certainly a duty of caregivers, it takes a lot more than “man-working hands” (Walker 311) to raise a child. Today’s parents should learn from the mistakes of traditional parenting and opt

In the story “Everyday Use” written by Alice Walker, the story is written from a mother’s viewpoint as she talks about her two daughters, Maggie and Dee, and how different they are. The comparison of characters is something that Alice Walker allows us to see while reading the story. She does this by describing to us the characters appearance, personality, lifestyle, and any other unique qualities that might help demonstrate someone. “Everyday Use” describes to us how a mother rejects the values of her older, successful daughter in favor of the practical values of her younger, less fortunate daughter. Alice Walker is exploring the concept of heritage as it applies to African-Americans by bringing the quilt into the story. Maggie is a character that truly understands culture and family, which is why Mama truly felt that is why she deserved the quilt. Mama' giving the quilt to Maggie show the readers that Maggie has more pride than Dee.

Alice Walker’s work, “Everyday Use” is about a girl named Dee who hated her life growing up in poverty and had her mind set on getting out of that lifestyle and getting an education. Ever since she was little she despised her life in poverty and felt that she deserved living in a better environment. When she grew up she practically disowned her family; changing her name and treating them as if she was a tourist when she visited.

In the short story “Everyday Use” the author, Alice Walker, utilizes numerous elements of fiction in order to create a central theme and award the reader a fascinating experience. “Everyday Use” is set in the late 1960s or early 1970s on a rural farm. The two main characters, Mama and Maggie, are anticipating the arrival of Dee, Mama’s oldest daughter. As the reader makes their way through the story, we experience both feelings of anticipation of Dee’s arrival and conflict by the protagonist characters with the antagonist character, Dee. The author uses the characters, setting, tone and diction to create an interesting reading experience, while also supporting the central theme of knowing and appreciating one’s heritage.

“Everyday Use” is a short story that was written by Alice Walker and later published in 1973, along with several other short stories. The main character and narrator in this story is Mama. Mama is a woman who has done physical labor a majority of her life because her education was cut short due to racism. Mama is a loving mother and very conscious about her heritage. While she might not make much, Mama tries her best to give her daughters opportunities she never had. For instance Mama sends her older daughter Dee to college despite them being poor. Dee is Mama’s older daughter that acts as the black sheep of the family. Dee is the brightest one in the family and sometimes uses her intellect to talk down to her mother and her younger sister.