Quilt And Symbolism In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

In “The Century Quilt,” Marilyn Nelson Waniek utilizes several literary techniques to represent the speaker’s undying heritage through her family heirloom that binds generations with one another. As an indication of the diversity and complexity within her family, the speaker goes into depth about the immense effect her Meema’s blanket had on her growth into a woman and the etching along her own quilt that represents her Native American pride. With the use of evocative imagery and symbolism of her culture’s oppression, Waniek depicts the speaker’s remorseful tone towards the recurring theme of absence within her family, that forces her to rely on the quilt for a sense of comfort and guidance.

There has been plenty of time when people decided that they needed change. Can breaking the tradition be good for you? I once experienced change when I felt the need to move from my hometown to Hattiesburg,Ms. I eventually went back to visit, and I stumbled upon a problem. I couldn't remember my friends name's. Furthermore, I honestly believe that Maggie, from "Everyday Use", should get the quilt that was made by her grandma. Dee Wangero came back, and she was a changed girl. Even though Dee wanted the quilt,Maggie should acquire the quilt because she was willing to offer the quilt to Dee.

Heritage is defined as something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth. In “Everyday Use”, by Alice Walker, the theme of the story can be considered as the meaning of heritage or even the power of education. Alice Walker uses many symbols and motifs such as the following: quilts, education, knowledge, Asalamalakim, and the renaming of Dee. In the story, African heritage and knowledge takes a major role.

culture. Starting at the time of slavery to relay information about safe routes in the Underground

Alice Walker is a writer of many powerful short stories, novels, essays and poetry. She used her work to bring black women’s lives to the main focus, such as the rich and important in the US American Literature. In the short story “Everyday Use” written by Alice walker, she showed the conflicts and struggle throughout the African- American culture. “Everyday Use” addresses the dilemma with African Americans, trying to escape prejudice and poverty. The short story “Everyday Use” focuses on the encounter between a mother and her daughters. The setting of the story takes place in the driveway of the mother’s house. The mother and her youngest daughter Maggie wait for her oldest daughter Dee and her male friend to visit from school. Alice

Alice begins her story with Dee’s mother describing her precious yard. The way the narrator describes this bond shows that the yard is something that she keeps very close to her house and that she’s proud. To Dee’s mother the yard, sort of represents a little quite place that she can think and put her thoughts together. She treats it like a child and makes sure

The profundity of the love of parents towards their children cannot be measured. This relationship is like no other. The love of a parent for a child is ongoing surpassing affliction. Our parents can teach us a galore of things. They have the power to show us how we are to be, who we should be, what not to be. Parents could also point out to one traits that one objectifies, soon realizing, that those traits are not of one 's own if not of ones parents which one is reflecting. In the short story "Everyday Use" the author Alice Walker depicts a mothers conflicting relationship with her two daughters Maggie and Dee. The mother feels that Maggie holds the traditional ways of living life and Dee her oldest daughter has broken away from her family 's tradition in effect losing her heritage. The reader may think of this relationship as the typical mother daughter hiss of the rebel child versus the obedient child. However, this challenging relationship shows the reader the struggle to keep hold of African American culture within a family. In "The Queen of Mold" Ruth Reichl informs the reader about how she found that people 's eating habits match their personality through her mother 's deadly cooking. Her mother 's love and daring personality shines through her experimentation with food. Both Walker and Reich make use of characterization to highlight the different ways both mothers showed their love demonstrating that heritage, education and love are essential in a child 's life.

Alice Walker, a famous author, stated in her short story, Everyday Use, “Dee (Wangero) looked at me with hatred. “You just will not understand. The point is these quilts, these quilts.” Each person’s identity is shaped from a culture that is built with the offering of everything in his or her surrounding environment. Culture is one of the most important factors, though there are many other contributing factors, that can influence someone’s perspective on the world because all of their opinions, decisions, and morals are all based off of their surrounding environment. In the poem and story, “My Mother Pieced Quilts” and Everyday Use, they both demonstrate how one’s cultural identity is influenced by his or her surroundings, changing the

People hold on to pieces of jewelry, furniture, and other symbolic collectables that is passed through generations. These things can remind a person of a loved one that is seen as being priceless.

A symbol is a literacy device that contains different layers of meanings that mean something more in the story rather than their actual significance. The author Alice Walker used symbols in “Everyday Use” to develop the theme of her story. For example she used symbols in the story like “quilt” and “the yard” to represent something more explicit. “Everyday Use” is narrated from the viewpoint of Mama, a "big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands". Which indicates that she has had to work hard in order to live and feed her family, you can say they aren’t wealthy. As the story begins, she awaits the return of her oldest daughter Dee who arrives with her boyfriend. She waits for Dee with her youngest daughter Maggie who has always lived with her. Once together, they search through Mama’s belongings in search for “authentic” pieces of old rural African life traditions. There Dee insists on acquiring old quilts that are meant for Maggie and they get into an argument and Dee is asked to leave.

After reading the short story, I found it said that, as a reader, I noticed that the mother favor or likes Maggie better than her other daughter, Dee. I was confused on why Mama believed that Dee hated Maggie, until Mama and the community raised enough money to send Dee to school in Augusta. Mama resented the intimidating world of ideas and education that Dee forced on her family on her trips home. Dee has come back to lay claim to some old blankets that she has a newfound “historic” appreciation for: she thinks they would make trendy décor for her apartment. To Dee, the quilts represent the historical significance of an oppressed people. The problem is that Mama has a much more practical use for the quilts; Mama intends to give them to Dee’s

The quilts symbolize how Maggie is represented as the favorite daughter from the beginning. The reader can see Mama’s sympathy for Maggie in all of her actions. Her sympathy not only comes from Maggie being burned in a house fire, but for Maggie following the path that she wants her to live. Mama feels proud that her daughter is following a life like she has lead and wishes her other daughter had done the same. Even though the quilts are just an object, the argument over them gives the readers an insight to the feelings Mama has towards Dee and how she disagrees with her life decisions

The glass collection that was used by Laura symbolized her life and her own world she lived in. It is her escape out of reality and into a safe heaven. Amanda’s symbolism of success is the seventeen gentlemen callers that wanted to marry her. In idea of success were the gentlemen callers to take car of you if you were successful in the work force. The quilt that Mama had a representation of African American slaves that came to America and made those specific quilts.

Alice Walker in an American novelist, short-story writer, and poet known for her famous novel The Color Purple. She has won both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. Her writings focus on multi-generational periods and inter-connecting black women in the North and the South. Although she is widely known for his novels, her short stories are equally spectacular. Walker is known for incorporating symbolism, imagery, and tone in her writing.

important device that she uses to execute her stories, because they are all personal and the subject is inspired by the African continuum.