Maggie Essay

remembering what happened to a lady, Maggie, who had an accident when they are children. They go to the same state home, “St. Bonny’s” (201), when they are eight. Their mothers could not take care of them because Twyla’s “mother danced all night and Roberta’s was sick” (201). Twyla, who tells the story, has not seen her friend since childhood, suggesting she does not know Roberta like she think she does. Roberta is a confused woman who has not gotten over what happened to Maggie and her mind is creating false

character. Mama has always had her voice, and it is made known that she has always used it when the time came, however, Maggie has remained without any real say her entire life, but that all changes when, as Tuten states, “. . . when Mama takes the quilts from Dee and gives them to Maggie she confirms her younger daughter’s self-worth: metaphorically, she gives Maggie her voice.” (Tuten) Maggie has never had a firm idea of self-worth, and that is established

guy at their high school. On the first day of school Nash (who is gay) sees a new guy on the school bus and points him out to Maggie. Nash calls “dibs” over the new guy, Tom, which in their friendship would mean that he would “get” the thing without fighting over it. But in this case even though Nash called “dibs” Maggie struggles with letting him “have” Tom to himself. Maggie lets Nash have dibs on Tom at first because she thinks Tom wouldn’t like her anyway cense she is overweight. However, she can’t

their marriage. Leroy is failing to keep Norma Jean satisfied with their marriage and eventually faces a cruel reality which will alter his life. Also in “Recitatif” written by Toni Morrison, Twyla who briefly stayed at St. Bonny’s orphanage, met Maggie and Roberta, who would later become indispensable individuals that would forever change her point of view on life. In the story of “Shiloh,” Leroy and Norma Jean have been in an unhappy marriage for sixteen years. Even though their marriage was an

Walker, is another short story that shows how substantial it is to stand firm for one’s convictions and beliefs, especially in familial matters. Mama, the protagonist in “Everyday Use”, must make the decision of protecting her self-conscious daughter Maggie, or giving in to Dee, her other egocentric daughter who has forgotten the traditional values of

shares some of the feelings of those true followers of the movement. Yet, Dee’s aggressiveness in taking what she wants and silencing her family turns out to be more oppressive than that which she believes she is fighting, especially towards her sister Maggie. Maggie’s equal would be the faithful and responsible son from the parable of The Prodigal Son. She is the daughter who has stood by their mother throughout the

Name Date Class Everyday Use and Heritage Heritage is defined as something that is or can be inherited; such as in culture, tradition, or it can be something of importance handed down. Walker uses the quilts to represent the "creative legacy that African Americans have inherited from their maternal ancestor" and show the "value of the quilt in the Afro-American experience". In Alice Walker's short story, "Everyday Use", characterization of a mother and her daughters and the symbolism of the everyday

Maggie serves as a symbol of the family’s heritage while Dee serves as a symbol for the aesthetic that most often replaces heritage. Dee seems to scare Maggie because she is a threat to her in the sense that their heritage could be forgotten through Dee’s attempts to leave it behind. Maggie has scars all over her to represent the way that heritage is the struggle of past generations that carries

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 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.      Maggie is shamed from her scares of being burnt by their previous