Gemini
Alice Walker is a renowned African American novelist and poet who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982. She is a Georgian, and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York in 1965. Everyday Use is one of her most widely read popular short stories in which she addresses how African Americans were struggling with their cultural terms and identities in this country. The background of the story is around late 60s to early 70s shortly after the onset of African American Civil Right Movement; according to the clues in the plot of the story such as the Lone Star pattern (Texas) on the rags (from Great Grandfather’s uniform in Civil War) stitched on the quilts, the story should take place in the southern United States. I will discuss the racial
…show more content…
Walker uses a ‘hand-stitched quilt’ to symbolize the different meanings of the legacy of family lively; it is full of trendy and vivid wordings, contrasting comparisons and irony descriptions in this story. The dictions in the story create real life feeling for the readers, for example, Mama describes herself as “ In real life I am a large, big boned woman with rough, man working hands …My fat keeps me hot in zero weather (315).” Walker constructs very distinctly different and somehow contrasting characters between the two sisters Maggie and Dee, and uses Mama’s first person in the narration of the story, much on their conflicting concept of cultural heritages. With Mama living with Maggie on one side, while Dee on the other who has moved out home for her college education in city, both sides create opposing views on value in their lives. In the beginning of the story, Mama describes Maggie as vague and her first appearance is nearly invisible, “almost hidden by the door” (316); and describes Dee as lively and bright, “never tell NO for an answer” (316). To set a paradoxical scene, Maggie is constructed to be darker skinned, quiet and ignorant, and skinny and badly burned with no style; while Dee is constructed to be light skinned, …show more content…
Dee’s change of name is one typical example, as the name was probably given by the White slave master to her ancestor, and she feels shame with her history as descendant of Black slaves. When Mama fantasizes about a reunion scene to meet Dee in the TV program with Johnny Carson, Mama expresses “Who can even imagine me looking a strange White man in the eye (315).” Another example is when Mama describes her low education, she explains, “ After second grade the school was closed down……...in 1927, colored asked fewer questions than they do now.” The last example is when Mama talks to Asalamalakim and explains his tribe, “When the white folks poisoned some of the herd……..I walked a mile and a half just to see the sight” (319). In a short story like this, Walker did voice out four times of the resentment of African Americans and how they dislike the Whites. As an educated African American, it is no wonder for Walker to express this way. It was already over one century after the liberation of slavery when she wrote this story, but the persistent racial inequality has forced the African Americans to trigger the Black Civil Right Movement. Another forty years lapsed after Walker wrote this story and won the Pulitzer Prize, today we see racial discrimination becomes illegal, and institutional racial inequality apparently ceased. However, racial profiling adopted
Susan Farrell in her, “Fight vs. Flight: A Re-evaluation of Dee in Alice Walker’s ‘Everyday Use’” writes in response to Alice Walker’s short story Everyday Use. Farrell’s article is published by Newbury College in spring of 1998 in Studies in Short Fiction (179). Farrell in her article writes to argue that although Dee is inconsiderate and egotistical—supporting what she is arguing against— to a certain degree, she offers a way for a modern African American to manage with the harsh society that is, in a few ways more substantial than that described by Mother and Maggie— which is her thesis (179). Most people who have read Walker’s short story Everyday Use are prone to agree that the character Dee is ‘shallow,’ ‘condescending,’ and ‘manipulative,’;
No matter where one is from or where one finds themselves today, we carry with us in some way or another a specific heritage. Certain events and circumstances can lead to someone trying to forget their heritage or doing everything in their power to preserve that heritage. Alice Walker’s “EveryDay Use” was published in 1973, not long after the civil rights movement, and reflects the struggles of dealing with a heritage that one might not want to remember (Shmoop). Alice Walker is well known as a civil rights and women’s rights activist. Like many of her other works she uses “Everyday Use” to express her feelings on a subject; in this case African American heritage. Through “Everyday Use” it can be seen that Alice Walker has negative feelings about how many African Americans were trying to remove themselves from parts of their African American culture during the time of the short story’s publishment. This idea that Walker was opposed to this “deracinating” of African Americans coming out of the civil rights
In Alice Walker’s story “Everyday Use,” symbolism, allegory, and myth stand out when thinking about the characters, setting, and conflict in the story. The conflict is between the mother and her two daughters (Maggie and Dee). There is also the conflict between the family’s heritage (symbolized by the quilt, bench, and butter chum) and their different ways of life. Dee chose a new African name, moved to the city, and adopted a new way of life while Maggie and her mother have stay behind. The quilt (the most important symbol) represents the family’s heritage in that it is made of scraps of clothing worn by generations of family members. The quilt has been sewn by family hands and used on family beds. It has seen history and is history. Maggie and her mother see that that history is alive but Dee thinks it is as dead as her name. Dee does not see that name as part of her heritage. By analyzing these symbols, a number of possibilities for a theme can be seen. Walker could be suggesting that to understand the African-American heritage, readers have to include the present as well as the past. However, the theme could be that poverty and a lack of sophistication and education cannot be equated with ignorance. Lastly, she could be telling her readers that dignity or self-respect rise from and are virtually connected to one’s entire heritage- not just a selected part of it.
In the story, Maggie is the younger sister and she got burn in a fire. Mama Johnson is the mother of Maggie. Maggie also has a sister name Dee. Dee has a problem. The problem is the she don’t know what is true representation of heritage. Dee is the only good educate from her family. Maggie didn’t go to school and she is very shy. Dee takes a friend name Hakim-A-Barber. Dee and hem are the black power movement. Hakim-A-Barber is very religious and he doesn’t what is true representation of heritage.
How does the difference between the way Dee (Wangero) and Maggie would use the quilts represent their two different ways of defining and treating their family’s heritage? Does the narrative give approval to Dee’s way or Maggie ’s?
The main objects of topic throughout the story are the quilts that symbolize the African American Woman’s history. Susan Farrell, a critic of many short stories, describes the everyday lives of African American Women by saying “weaving and sewing has often been mandatory labor, women have historically endowed their work with special meanings and significance” and have now embraced this as a part of their culture. The two quilts that Dee wanted “had been pieced together by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and me [Mother] had hung them on the quilt frames on the front porch and quilted them” (par. 55) showing that these quilts were more valuable as memories than they were just blankets. The fabrics in the quilts “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 faded blue piece, about the piece of a penny matchbox, that was from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War” (par. 55) putting forth more evidence that these are not just scraps, but have become pieces of family history. The q...
“Everyday Use” is a story based in the era of racial separation between communities of diverse ethnicity. “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker merely scratches the surface of racial heritage and the elimination of previous ways of living. This discontinuation of poverty driven physical labor shines through Dee as she grows to know more of her heritage throughout her years in school. An example of this is when Dee changes her name; this is an indication of Dee/Wangero wanting to change her lifestyle after the harsh truth she is hit with while going to school. Dee learns about the struggles of African Americans during this time, which changes her view on the unforgiving reality of her family’s lifestyle. In “Everyday Use”, the author opens the mind
Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” is a short story about an African American family that struggles to make it. Mama tries her best to give Maggie and Dee a better life than what she had. In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use,” Dee is the older sister and Maggie is younger. Dee is described as selfish and self-centered. Maggie is generous, kind, and cares the family’s history together. She would go out of her way to make sure that her older sister, Dee has everything she needs and wants. Maggie is also willing to share what she has with her sister. Maggie is also shy and vulnerable. Mama is the mother of Maggie and Dee. Mama is fair and always keeps her promises to her children. Hakim-a-barber is the boyfriend
Everyday Use ends with Dee leaving, not with the quilts, thus making room for the new bond between Mama and Maggie. Dee may believe that she has won in some way because she is the educated sister who appreciates her heritage, but the reader sees it is in fact Maggie who has become victorious by having her way of life validated by Mama’s support and Dee’s envy. Maggie’s system of values is redeemed by creating a new relationship, with herself, in which she is no longer silenced and can truly appreciate the beauty of her home even in its everyday use. While there is little growth seen from the experience on Dee’s side, we know that Maggie is forever changed, giving her more power than she ever had. There is still and will always be a struggle between her and her sister, but Maggie now knows she does not need redemption from Dee, nor anyone else, because it is she who carries the importance of the past into the future.
In the story "Everyday Use" the narrator is telling a story about her life and two daughters, who are named Dee and Maggie. The narrator is very strong willed, honest, compassionate and very concerned with the lives of her two daughters. Her daughter Dee is not content with her lifestyle and makes it hard on Maggie and the narrator. The narrator is trying to provide for her family the best way she can. The narrator is alone in raising the two daughters and later sends her daughter Dee to college. The longer the story goes on the more the narrator shows how intelligent and how much she loves her two daughters.
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 also family values. Walkers’ narrator, “Mama”, struggles with her disrespectful daughter ‘Dee”. Though “Mama” was quoted to have worked hard like a man to send her to school gratitude is never mentioned. “Clearly, Dee privileges language over silence, as she demonstrates in her determination to be educated and in the importance she places on her name” (Tuten). Since “Dee” had been out of the house and to school in the city she had lost touch with where she came from and had little respect for the family heritage. Maggie having been burned in a house fire had learned to love the shelter that only a family can provide. Being burned makes you like no one else, everywhere you go you feel eyes looking. Since she had not been out of the house and had the time to learn the value of family she regarded the quilts as a part of her heritage.
Lex Luger, a retired wrestler and television producer, reflects that “Many times, the decisions we make affect and hurt your closest friends and family the most. I have a lot of regrets in that regard. But God has forgiven me, which I am very thankful for. It has enabled me to forgive myself and move forward one day at a time.” Luger believes that you shouldn’t dwell on what you’ve done but grow from it and move forward with your life. At times, we can feel taken for granted, but there is always a way to move beyond the situation and feel better about ourselves. Dee, Alice Walker’s main character, has hurt both her mother and sister, but Mama, as all mothers do, overlook their children’s shortcoming and forgive. Dee unappreciative her whole life not caring about the hard work her mother and sister Maggie has put in to help her have a better life, making sure she had and education and was able to go to a good college in Dee wanted to do was forget about and where she came from only caring about herself; which drove Mama and Maggie to shift a lot in the story. Mama finally becoming of herself speaking up for Maggie you would say her overlooked daughter. While Maggie got a sense of happiest on the inside to finally ends up with the quilts compared to always having Dee get any and everything she wants. Now Dee has realize that her bratty and spoiled ways aren’t
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 household items that she wants just to show others, instead of putting them to use like Maggie.
Author Alice Walker, displays the importance of personal identity and the significance of one’s heritage. These subjects are being addressed through the characterization of each character. In the story “Everyday Use”, the mother shows how their daughters are in completely two different worlds. One of her daughter, Maggie, is shy and jealous of her sister Dee and thought her sister had it easy with her life. She is the type that would stay around with her mother and be excluded from the outside world. Dee on the other hand, grew to be more outgoing and exposed to the real, modern world. The story shows how the two girls from different views of life co-exist and have a relationship with each other in the family. Maggie had always felt that Mama, her mother, showed more love and care to Dee over her. It is until the end of the story where we find out Mama cares more about Maggie through the quilt her mother gave to her. Showing that even though Dee is successful and have a more modern life, Maggie herself is just as successful in her own way through her love for her traditions and old w...
The human mind is divided into three parts that make up the mind as a whole. These parts are necessary to have a complete mind, just as the members of a family are needed to make up the entire family. The use of components to equal a whole is often exercised in literature. Alice Walker's short story, "Everyday Use," contains the idea of family and of the mind, therefore her work can be evaluated through psychological methods. Through their actions, the characters symbolize the three different parts of the mind: the id, the ego, and the superego.