Alice Walker's Everyday Use

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Recommended: The symbolism of the handmade quilt in everyday use

Heritage is something that people see in various ways. When many people think of heritage they think of past generation and where their family comes from. Other people place their heritage on the value of things, such as old quits that are made from something sentimental. In Everyday Use this is exactly how Maggie thinks of heritage. She wants the quits that were handmade out of her grandma’s dresses because to her that is a sign of her heritage. Alice Walker’s story is based on heritage. The narrator of the story has two daughters who could not be more different. One daughter, Dee, is beautiful and cares a lot about finding her place in the world, and about fashion. Maggie on the other hand is very practical. She does not see any reason for fashion and is okay with her placement in this world. This is because she is like her mother. Her mother is someone who has had to work very hard to provide for her daughters. She prefers the hard work and takes pride in what she is able to do. When Maggie comes back to visit she brings her abnormal husband with her. She has changed her name and all of a sudden cares a lot about her heritage. She keeps asking to take things that she knows have been in the family for a while. Her mom is okay with this until she tries to take the quilts that she has already offered to Maggie as a wedding present. This is the last straw for her mom and she tells Dee no, which causes Dee to get angry because she knows that Maggie will actually use the blankets and they will fall apart in a few years. Dee leaves angry and then Maggie and her mom move on with their lives. This is a very effective story because they story shows two very different views, creates entertaining characters, and contains a powerful message...

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...alker’s story is that education sets people apart, sort of like a caste system. For Maggie and her mom it was okay to continue life the same as it had always been because they didn’t know, or know of anything different. For Dee the simple life that her family lived seemed sad and simple because she had experienced and learned about many new and different things.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. N.p.: Tribeca Books, 2014. Print.
Briggs, Patricia. Alpha and Omega, Book 1. N.p.: Ace, 2008. Print.
Lewis, C.S. The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics. N.p.: Harper Collins, 2007. Print.
Trungpa, Chogyam. Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. N.p.: Shambhala, 2002. Print.
Velazquez, Juan R. "Characterization and Symbolism in Alice Walker's 'Everyday Use.'" Lone Star College System. Lone Star, n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2014. .

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