Everyday Use By Alice Walker Analysis

“Everyday Use” is a story about family and heritage. Through various arguments the authors, Susan Farrell and Nancy Tuten, share their thoughts and ideas on Walkers meaning of the story. Although they both agree that the story has to do with heritage, Nancy Tuten’s ideas and Susan Farrell’s differ.

Standing up for what is right is not an easy task, but it is necessary to protect those who can not defend themselves. “Everyday Use” is about Mama and her decision to choose sentimental values over materialism. Dee is the educated yet selfish sister of Maggie, who is self conscious and withdrawn because she had been scarred by a house fire. After a very long time, Dee returns to her home in search of materialistic goods so that she can preserve her family’s heritage by turning their culture into a commodity. Dee believes that possessing items with traditional value will allow her to understand her cultural heritage, and this symbolizes her misconception of viewing heritage as a material entity. However, Mama and Maggie clearly defines family and cultural heritage through their knowledge of everyday traditional practices, such as churning butter and quilting. Maggie and Dee are sisters, but they are like the two ends of a stick. Although they have been brought up in the same home and raised by the same mother, this is as far as their similarities

A daughter who uses her mother's gifts in contrast to a daughter who preserves them, is far more valuable just like in “Everyday use” by Alice Walker because heritage values can be preserved. From here on, Walker utilizes a prideful tone which later shifts into an authoritative tone by illustrating a proud mother who becomes defensive because of her modern daughter’s opposing views.

"Everyday Use" is told from momma's point of view which helps to reveal how she feels about herself. Momma feels that she is an uneducated person, she says "I never had

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.

Like most peoples families there is a dynamic of people involved, although all from the same environment and teachings, it is ultimately an accumulation of personal experiences that shape us and defines how we perceive our existence. “Everyday Use” is a story of conflict of right and wrong and

Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” is a short story about the family relationship between a mother and her spoiled daughter. The mother, who is affectionately called “Mama” throughout the story, lives with her younger daughter, Maggie. The older child is Dee, who has not lived at home since she was sent to Augusta to school. She is preoccupied with advancing her social status and acquiring nice things. “Dee wanted nice things. A yellow Organdy dress to wear to her graduation from high school; black pumps to match a green suit…” (Walker,492). The story revolves around Dee’s visit to see Mama and Maggie, an event which obviously does not happen often. Dee only seems to visit the family in order to claim items that Mama has not yet given to her children. As usual, Mama allows Dee to come inside the home and take whatever she wants. Yet, the relationship between Mama and Dee is a complicated one. Others may say that their relationship is strained because Dee burned their first house down. However, there is no direct proof that Dee is responsible for the fire. Their relationship is contentious and uneasy because Dee is very selfish, she wants to advance her life without considering others, mainly Maggie, and she resents that Mama is satisfied with a simple life.

The story 'Everyday Use', written by Alice Walker, is a story of heritage, pride, and learning what kind of person you really are. In the exposition, the story opens with background information about Dee and Maggie's life, which is being told by Mama. The reader learns that Dee was the type of child that had received everything that she wanted, while Maggie was the complete opposite. The crisis, which occurs later in the story, happens when Dee all of a sudden comes home a different person than she was when she left. During the Climax, Mama realizes that she has often neglected her other child, Maggie, by always giving Dee what she wants. Therefore, in the resolution, Mama defends Maggie by telling Dee that she cannot have the

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.

One similarity shared between my family and the short story’s family involves hardworking parents. For example, Mama must work twice as hard as a single parent. In the story, she says, “I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man” (50). Since the father is not in the story, Mama must tackle the hard jobs. My Mama must take care of hard jobs. My mom must take care of cleaning our house and making food for the whole family. Another example of Mama’s hard work involves her hands. In the process of describing herself, she talks about having “man hands” (50). Due to her responsibilities around the house, she has developed calluses that are evidence of her hard work. While my mom does not have calluses on her hands, she does have evidence of how hard she has worked over the years. To put my sister through college, my mom must work and take care of our house.

A family 's past is not always the greatest but it 's important to cherish and embrace your family 's past because it helps to shape who you are. In the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, the central idea is that people sometimes appreciate historical items differently.This story can be placed in the category of drama because the argument between two family members causes the truth to come out.The story is about a Mom and two daughters, Maggie and Dee, Maggie and Mama live together in the countryside of Georgia while Dee was sent off to school in Augusta, GA and after six years Dee comes to visit them with a friend named Hakim-a-Barber .When she returns Mama is shocked on how different Dee is, both parties struggle to get accustomed to each other and causes awkwardness between them.Dee starts to look through Mama 's items and finds quilts that were passed down to her and wants to take them, but Mama already promised Maggie she 'll give them to her when she gets married. Mama keeps her promise and let Maggie have them, Dee gets upset then leaves with Mr.Barber. The central theme is of the story is to embrace your roots, culture and environment you grew up with.The author uses direct and indirect characterization to show Dee 's disassociation with her heritage while Mama and Maggie appreciate the items that have been passed down from generation to generation.

Most families have amazing memories, but everyone has problems and obstacles they have to overcome. Regardless of Age, race, religion, faiths and beliefs, these predicaments can cause a relationship to become stronger or a flounder. In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” a family struggles to maintain a healthy relationship. In the Story, Mama tells us how the disengagement affects the family and their home. The family in “Everyday Use” shares several differences and similarities with my family concerning the loss of home ,sibling jealousy also hard working parents.

Families are made up of all kinds of people. Sometimes family members like each other; sometimes they do not. Sometimes family members have similar outlooks on life; sometimes they do not. In the story “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker creates a family of three very different characters. Mama is a self-sufficient woman who is used to working hard to support her daughters. Mama’s younger daughter Maggie is a nervous, uneducated introvert who still lives at home. The two of them are waiting for Mama’s older daughter Dee to arrive. And when Dee arrives, she upsets the balance. Dee is not really home for a visit; she is not really interested in her mother’s or her sister’s life. She is home to take pictures and gather keepsakes to put on display at her own home. Dee is a superficial, condescending, and selfish person who drops in and out of the family when it benefits her the most.

In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” short story narrated from Mama’s view, helps the reader understand her point of view. Mama talks about her two daughters she raised on her own without the father figure type. Maggie and Dee, Mama's daughters, both grew up with different mindsets on their culture and heritage, that determined who they would grow up to be. Interestingly enough, Walker did not mention a father figure or a male character that influenced Maggie's and Dee's life.

In this world there are millions of families out here and each and every one of them are unique from the rest of them. In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” one part of the family is still stuck in the traditions of their past while one daughter is embracing the changes of the modern world. This short story is about the struggles this family has with each other and the way they value their pass. Our families are very unique since we have many differences in them, but we also have some similarities such as strong mothers, sibling relationship and constant