Alice Walker Everyday Use Summary

Prior to the 1970s, life was incredibly hard for African-Americans. Racial segregation was at the forefront of these times as it interfered with daily life and efforts to achieve African freedom were blocked by white-conservative efforts (“African Art” 1). African-Americans struggled through adversity, prejudice, violence, and fought for racial equality. The 1970s marked the beginning of a new era: the post-civil rights movement era. It was full of ‘firsts’ for African-Americans which socially empowered many of them and allowed them to be proud of who they were. The author of the short story “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker, grew up when the Jim Crow Laws were enacted and was an activist during the civil rights movement, where she met Martin Luther
She describes herself as a “big-boned women” who can “kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man” and who can “work outside all day” (315). This description of herself can be interpreted as Mama not being ashamed of what she is capable of and to an extent, not being ashamed of the way she was brought up. In other words, she does not reject the aspects of her life that define her identity. When it comes to heritage, Mama has a limited understanding. In the 1960s, as well as years before, a majority of both the black and white middle-class population saw the wearing of loose, bright colored, dresses from West Africa as a “provocative political statement” (“African Art” 1). Mama does not understand that this is exactly what Dee is trying to do with the dress she shows up in. To Mama, the dress is not something that she would be proud to wear like Dee. She says it is “A dress so loud it hurts my eyes… I feel my whole face warming from the heat waves it throws out” (317). While she does not put a huge emphasis on heritage, she respects and admires those who came before her. This is evident when she describes pieces of the quilt and where they come from. Mama knows that the quilts have pieces of her Grandpa Jarrell, Grandma Dee, and Great Grandpa Ezra and she uses this knowledge to form a personal bond with the quilts (320). When Mama appreciates the objects made by her ancestors, she is not