Symbolism in Everyday Use By Alice Walker

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Symbolism isn’t as simple as it sounds. Symbolism is for objects that have true meaning to them. For example when you see a stop sign its true symbol it’s trying to show us is to stop. When it’s your birthday and you get something from someone really special to you it gets a true symbolism to you. The symbol on the streets explains to us in what directions we may go and what no to do, so the symbols in the streets are to show us what to do. In this short story ‘Everyday Use’ Alice Walker uses symbolism for the objects that had been passed from the ancestors.

The story “Everyday Use “by Alice Walker, is loaded with symbolism and heritage. It shows the symbolism and true heritage. It shows how objects have symbolism, but not just that, it shows the greatness and true meaning of heritage. In “Everyday Use” Wangero, a beautiful black women that always put down her friends and family goes back to her humble home where she makes everything a mess. She shows her mama, a man working women (715) that she is not the same way that her true heritage wants her to be. She is clearly just visiting her humble home to take objects for décor when those objects have a meaning to Mama Johnson and to Maggie, a young lady that has a truly scared soul. As the story goes on it shows us how mama Jonson, who has never said no to Deelearns that she is not the same as when she was before she4 went to that school, and she decides to put Dee in her place so help her lovely Maggie get out of that shame that she has always been in. When mama Johnson does that all the

characters get placed where they belong. Dee leaves. Maggie for the first time gives out a true smile, and mamaJohnson sees the true reality of things.

In the story “Everyday Use” by Alice W...

... middle of paper ...

...y. It explains that many thing have true meaning if you really appreciate them and value them like their supposed to be valued.

Works Cited

Bmad, Nick. “Symbolism in Walkers ‘Everyday Use’.” Enotes. N.p., 4 July 2007 web. 17 Mar 2014.

Eshbaugh, Ruth. “A Literary Analysis of Alice Walker’s Short Story ‘Everyday Use’.” YAHOO!VOICES. Yahoo, Inc., 21 Aug 2008. Web. 17 Mar 2014.

Researchomatic Editors. “Themes and Symbols of Alice Walker’s ‘Everyday Use’.” Researchomatic. N.p., May 2011. Web. 17 Mar 2014.

Spark Notes Editors. “Themes, Motifs, and Symbols.” Sparknotes Sparknotes LLC, N.d., Web. 17 Mar 2014.

White, David. “’Everyday Use’: Defining African American Heritage.” Luminarium. Annina Jokinen, 19 Sep 2002. Web. 17 Mar 2014.

Velazquez, Juan R, “Characterization and Symbolism in Alice Walker’s ‘Everyday Use’.” Lonestar. N.p., n.d Web. 17 Mar 2014.

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