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Deciphering everyday use by alice walker
Alice walker everyday use analysis essay
Alice walker everyday use analysis essay
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The familiar saying, “Old habits die hard,” is true in every sense of the phrase. In life, it is most times difficult for someone to cease an old habit. In the story, “Everyday Use,” we are introduced to the Johnson family: Mama, Maggie and Dee. Mama and Maggie live together while Dee, Maggie’s older sibling, moved away to study; she has always been the most established of the three. Dee eventually comes back to visit her family, but she looks much different from the time she left. She even has a new name to go along with her appearance, but her personality remains the same: pompous, selfish, and misguided. Dee thinks highly of herself because she is academically educated while her mother and sister are not. She flaunts her fortune at her own mother who, along with the church, saves enough money to send Dee to school. She does not even appreciate the sacrifices her mother makes for her on a daily basis. Dee, through a letter, commits to visit Mama and Maggie no matter the rickety accommodations they decide to dwell in (Walker 72). One day when Dee visits her family, Mama and Maggie are shocked to see a stranger exit the vehicle; she is wearing a dress long down to her feet, extravagant gold earrings, and bracelets that makes noise when her arm moves. Her hair is done in an afro with two pigtails wrapped behind her ears (Walker 72). The person they know to be Dee changes her appearance significantly; she even speaks and interacts differently. Dee is fascinated by their bucolic reality, taking photographs as though they are being studied, and in doing so successfully removes herself from her family. Upon greeting one another, Mama initially addresses her as ‘Dee,’ which prompts the response, “‘Not ‘Dee,’ Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo!... ... middle of paper ... ... too, Maggie. It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you’d never know it.” Instead of honoring and embracing her roots, she objectifies them and distances herself as a spectator of their lifestyle versus becoming a participant and learning her true heritage. Old habits are hard to break. Just like Dee in “Everyday Use,” Dee moved away and became a different person in her outward appearance, but she was still the same internally; focused only on herself and her well-being. Many people try to change their hair, clothes, and how they live in an attempt to prove how much they have changed, but their personalities most times remain the same. Works Cited Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.” Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 4th ed. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Boston: Pearson, 2006. 69-76. Print.
Walker, Alice. "Everyday Use." Literature for Composition. Ed. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. 10th ed. New York: Pearson, 2014. 1125-1131. Print.
Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 6th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2007. 743-749.
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2012. Print.
Alice Walker's novel, The Color Purple, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982. This novel, in addition to her short story collections and other novels, continue to touch the emotions of a vast audience. This ability, according to critics, has "solidified her reputation as one of the major figures in contemporary literature" (Gwynn 462). Born to sharecroppers in Eatonton, Georgia, in 1944, Alice Walker's life was not always easy. Her parents strived to provide a home at a time when political and social unrest were at their highest. According to critic Barbara Christian, "[T]hat oppression fosters a sustaining spirit that appears in Walker's writing"
Maggie does not care about materialistic things. Maggie knows about her family and the story behind the family name. Maggie is comfortable living in the small house with mama. Maggie never left home. In the film version of “Everyday Use”, Maggie is happy at the end of the movie. The reason why Maggie is happy at the end of the movie is because Dee leaves. Dee makes Maggie feel uncomfortable when she’s there. Dee, on the other hand, is the opposite of Maggie. Dee is not afraid to tell anyone what she thinks or how she feels. Dee changes her birth name to an African Name. Dee also changes the way she dresses. Dee, in the movie, is seen wearing an African dress, hoop earrings and sporting thick hair. In the movie version of “Everyday Use” Dee ask her mama “where is the bathroom?” (Films Media Group 2003) Mama looked at Dee as if she never lived there. Dee is acting like she is from a foreign country. Dee knows where the bathroom is located at. In the movie version of “Everyday Use”, She first takes pictures of mama and Maggie. When she introduces herself in the film version of “Everyday Use”, Dee said, “No, Mama, not Dee, it’s Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo” (Films Media Group 2003)! Dee never liked where she comes from. Right from the beginning of the story, Dee hated her name. Dee likes to get everything she wants, and wants everything that is in style. Hearing “no” is a foreign word to Dee. When she had friends, she
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. Backpack literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. Fourth ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.
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.
By looking at the last couple pages of Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use,” the reader can determine a certain style Walker uses to tell the story of a culture gap between an African American family. By using slang and incorrect word usage with Mama and proper, almost eloquent English with Dee, Walker is able to paint the perfect picture of how truly different the mother and daughter are. Also, Walker alternates between simple, often incomplete sentences with incorrect run-on sentences to depict Mama’s lack of proper education. Finally, Walker uses certain wording to indicate Mama’s feelings in regards to how her daughters act, ultimately helping her make her final decision in who gets the quilts.
Lee, Edward Bok El Santo Americano. Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing 4th Ed.
... attempts to change the way Mama and Maggie perceive tradition by using the quilts as a wall display. Mama refuses to allow it, Dee was offered the quilts when she was in college and didn’t want them at that time. Mama gives the quilts to Maggie as her wedding gift to be used every day as they were intended, knowing how much Maggie appreciates them. I agree with Mama and Maggie for keeping family memories and objects in daily use. It is important to maintain your family history in your everyday life to preserve those special memories.
Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.” Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing, Compact. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner., and Stephen R. Mandell
Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," explores Dee and Maggie's opposing views about their heritage by conveying symbolism through their actions. Maggie is reminded of her heritage throughout everyday life. Her daily chores consist of churning milk, helping mama skin hogs on the bench which is the same table her ancestors built, and working in the pasture. On the other hand, Dee moved to the city where she attends college. It is obvious throughout the story; Dee does not appreciate her heritage. When Dee comes back to visit Mama and Maggie she announces that she has changed her name to Wangero. Dee states "I couldn't bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me" (89). Her stopping the tradition of the name Dee, which goes back as far as mama can remember, tells the reader that Dee does not value her heritage. Another symbolism of her lack of appreciation for her heritage demonstrated through her actions is when Dee asks Mama if she can have the churn top to use it as a ce...
Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.” Robert DiYanni, ed. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 6th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2007.
Schakel, Peter J., and Jack Ridl. The "Everyday Use." Approaching Literature: Writing, Reading, Thinking. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, J.
Walker, Alice. "Everyday Use." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Sixth edition. Eds. X.J. Dennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Harper Collins, 1995.