Everyday Use Symbolism

Walker use of this situation shows a bigger issue in African Americans families. According to Werlock, the issue is must “African Americans turn their back of their background and traditional family.” According to Cowart, Dee believes she has escaped the ghetto. In her mind, she has the right to act different from her mother and sister because now she is living at a higher standard than they are. Yet with this mindset, she is trapped with them mentally.

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.

The character types in this story would be one dynamic character, one flat, and one static character. The role of the dynamic character in the story is “Maggie”, the daughter that is described in detail as well as a very in-depth look at her personal psyche. How Walker builds her character in the story starting from meek and sheepish to end up being the justified victor in the end is classic dynamic character definition. The flat character role in the story would have to be “Dee” the sister that is described just enough to give the reader an idea of who she is and what she is about. The reader is almost biased toward “Dee” by the end of reading because of the few details they are given to base their ideas from. The central character in Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," the beautiful Dee Johnson, breaks away from her Deep Southern American roots to become the heavily educated, urbanized, modernized young woman who despises her cultural setting”.(Hoel) The static character is the narrator or

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.”

Mama said” I never had an education myself” (745) but Dee went off to college. This demonstrates how times were different and now Wangero does not want to be held back by old times. Also, because she is independent and intellectual and doesn’t want to be embarrassed by her family. To emphasize, Maggie character shows her being described as “lame animal perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car.” (744) This shows how Maggie isn’t educated with having any potential. Also, Maggie is an introvert and does not like to talk except to Mama. Wangero insults her sister by “Maggie brain is like an elephant” (747) which is saying she stupid. Then Wangero brings up the quilts and talks with Mama and Mama said “I promised to give them to Maggie, for when she marries John Thomas.” (748) Dee states ““Maggie cannot appreciate these quilts” (748) “She probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use”” (748). This represents again how Maggie is viewed as not bright person to not be able to have the

Different types of symbolism are used to add significance to point out uniqueness in connotations that a writer uses when writing literature. An author’s literary works may include multiple symbols to give perception to his or her readers. When a writer uses a symbol, it is intended to heighten the sense a reader’s communication of literary works. The three key symbols in the short story in “Everyday Use” is that of quilts stored away in a trunk, the house, and hands. The quilts represented the African American’s women talent of creativity from those that were made from by other individuals from other people. It is noted that the quilts depicted that a guiding principle during the time of slavery for which they were used to send a form of communication to other slaves (Kirszner and Mandell, 2012). As stated by Kirszner and Mandell (2012), “One design, the Log Cabin, was hung outside to mark a house of refuge for fugitive slaves. Other quilts mapped escape routes out of a plantation or county, often by marking the stars that would act as a guide to freedom for those escaping at night” (page. 345). When slavery came to an end, the quilts created during this period of time were remembered for their significance of ethnicity and legendary importance by the African Americans. Dee was the daughter of the momma who thought it would be better to change her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo as she did not want to carry the heritage name as it seem to trouble her. Dee looks around for items that she can back home with rather than spend valuable time with her mama and Maggie. Suddenly takes notice a truck that is sitting at the end of her mama’s bed, and she pulls out two quilts that were made by her very own ancestors. Dee requests to take the quilts home with her; however, the mama informs her that she had plans to give them to Maggie upon her marriage. Dee was selfish as she wanted them for herself only to display them on a wall, and requested the ones that were completely sewn by hand. The mother suddenly reminisces how the different pieces had a story behind them about herself and her heritage. Why, the quilts were made to be put on a bed. Dee had an opportunity to take a quilt with her when she went off to college

In 1957, James Baldwin, published “Sonny’s Blues” which told the story of a man struggling to understand why his brother Sonny let his life go in the malevolent direction that it did. Throughout this story one understands how hard it can be to face family who takes a different direction in life. Likewise, in 1973, Alice Walker, a novelist, wrote “Everyday Use”, which told the story of Mrs. Johnson and her daughter Maggie awaiting the arrival of Dee, Maggie’s older sister. Though once Dee arrives it is apparent that she had succumbed to a false understanding of what it meant to be African-American. Collectively, both stories help the reader understand how difficult and inflexible it can become to understand family member’s choices after they

In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, this short story characterizes not only the symbolism of heritage but also shows a difference in human character. The story reveals an African American family who lives in a small home and struggles financially, while it consists of a mother and her two daughters that are treated very differently from their mom. One of the daughter’s name is Dee, a well-educated woman, who struggles to understand her family’s heritage and is embarrassed by her family’s background. Maggie is the other sister who is kind, obedient and manages to appreciate her family. To represent the appreciation she provided for her family, the quilt is described as a powerful symbol to them. The quilts play an important role in depicting symbolism of heritage because they signify mama family origins. For instance, Dee's significant family members all have pieces of their fabric gown on to the quilts as a remembrance of who they were and their importance in the family. However, Dee does not see the quilts her ancestors made as valuable, handmade quilts should be passed down and taken care to keep their history alive. As for Maggie, Dee believes she can’t appreciate the quilt in the same way she can. “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts,” Dee responded. She thinks Maggie will use these quilts, so she can turn them into rags. Despite what Maggie concludes, the quilts for Maggie and mama are meaningful to them, because they were made by members of the Johnson family and have

Throughout the story, Walker personifies the different sides of culture and heritage in the characters of Dee and the mother (the narrator). Dee can be seen to represent a materialistic, complex, and modern way of life where culture and heritage

Johnson is the narrator of the story and the mother of the two women, who share contrasting views on heritage. Mrs. Johnson, similar to Maggie is an uneducated woman and share some of the same values on the subject of heritage. Mrs. Johnson emphasizes traditional family values as she connects with her daughter Maggie's memories of designing quilts with her mother and sister. Similar to Maggie, Mrs. Johnson associates the quilts behind the individuals who created them and the hard work. Mrs. Johnson is offended when she learns that Dee has wants the quilts only to, " Hang them"(Walker).

The strongest example of Dee's confusion and of Walker's belief that a family's heritage should be alive and not frozen in time is at the end of the story. Dee finds the two quilts that had been pieced together by many generations of her family, and she wants to keep them. Her mother says, "In both of them were scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty and more years ago. Bits and pieces of Grandpa Jarrell's paisley shirts. And one teeny

Unlike Dee, Walker’s description of Maggie is seen as an unattractive and awkward girl. Her mother notes “good looks passed her by” (355). Furthermore, she carries herself with low self-esteem, “chin on chest, eyes on ground” (355). Besides her appearance, when Maggie is first introduced in the story, Mama points out that she is nervous about her sister’s visit and “will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe” (355).

“Everyday Use” is a short story by Alice Walker, which emphasizes the importance of understanding and cherishing your heritage and the inheritance that may come along with it. Knowing who is truly entitled to the inheritance, and what their heritage meant was the central conflict in the story, when the two main characters Dee and Maggie, both wanted the two hand stitched quilts. Rather than looking at the physical aspect of the quilts the author wants the reader to know that the meaning is much deeper. The quilts are used to depict the struggle, triumphs, oppression, joy, pain, and love of each hand that helped to create the prized works of art. The quilts needed to be put to everyday use, rather than a mere decoration on the wall. Through the quilts Walker was able to show what each character valued: Dee valued the materials things, Maggie, valued things she could attach herself to, and Mama valued the acceptance of her daughter Dee.

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).

Families, they might be annoying and overbearing at times, but regardless we love our families just as they love you. It doesn’t matter what color, nationality, differing personality’s or even beliefs. Most can agree that no matter how out of this world your family might be you have something in common with others families maybe even more than you might think. Alice walker’s everyday use is a story about a family whose problem may not that different than most families. Mama and her daughters have an appreciation for their heritage, but they struggle to see each other point of view in “Everyday use” the fictitious family and my family have some similarities and differences concerning Differing perspective, Hard working parents and issue