Both characters, Mama from “Everyday use” story and the main character—also the narrator—from “The tell-tale heart” story appear dynamic. The reader perceives more of their personality as the story unfolds. When Mama introduces her daughter, Dee, to the reader, she describes her in a very critical way. She resents and feels almost jealous of her education, sophistication, and charisma: “she burnt us with a lot of knowledge” and “Dee want nice things” (133). However, when Dee arrives home, Mama contains herself, appears patient even if sometime she struggles with the presence of her daughter: “A dress so loud it hurts my eyes” (135). Even if she does not seem to understand why Dee is looking to change her name, Mama finally accepts to call …show more content…
But as the character reveals the story of his premeditated diabolic plan, he starts to betray his feelings revealing his madness. He jubilates when every night for 7 nights in a row he slightly opens the door of his victim: “Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in” (68) and exults with pleasure to the idea of killing his prey: “I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph” (69). He starts feeling over confident and almighty: “Never before that night I felt the extent of my own powers”(69). But, the view of his victim’s pale blue eye—which haunts him since the first time he met the old man—he suddenly “grew furious” (70). He meets the highest state of excitation and insanity at hearing the hear beat of his victim, which drives him to finally kill. He almost feels at peace when he dismembers, hides the body and even when the policemen came to his house: “what I had to fear?” (71). All of a sudden, the narrator’s feelings transform one last time again as he imagines the old man's heart beat starting again. He “foamed” and “raved” (72). The reader perceives how his uncontrollable madness takes progressively over his mind sealing his
My studies show that the patient’s actions during my interview with him were unusual, he was oddly calm about explaining in detail what he had done to the old man. I asked the defendant why he would do such a thing as killing the old man. He tells me the old man never did him wrong, “I knew what the old man felt and pitied him” (Poe 204)., it was the eye that tortured my patient. “a pale blue eye...my blood ran cold...thus
Rather than believing himself to be a murder the narrator sees himself as someone who is defending others against the evil eye, and not the old man. His disease has allowed the narrator to see them as two separate entities (Dern58). According to the narrator he is sane as he is able to communicate his story with the listener and that is what the narrator believes restores his humanity (Dern
In paragraph 3 and 4 the narrator explains, “ And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it. . . I did this seven long night-every night just at midnight. ” This shows that he was a calculated killer because of the time he took to watch the man before killing him. It shows how the narrator thought it through. Also shows how he was going to have to study the old man's sleeping behaviors in order to have to kill him.
Moreover, the diction of the narrator and his repeated pleas to the reader to believe this thought, while not truly convincing, serve as a means to support his case. He asks, ”How, then, am I mad?” and “but why will you say that I am mad?” Beyond what could be considered a maniacal monologue, the narrator’s creepy fascination with the old man’s eye further distinguishes mental illness. What is described as “a pale blue eye, with a film over it” is, in all probability, a cataract, which is not nearly as evil as
First in “Everyday Use” you recognize the differences in all three women throughout the story. The mama
In the short story, "Everyday Use", written by Alice Walker, Mama, one of the main characters, changes and develops into a better woman that is able to really identify her real star child, metaphorically speaking. Mama’s change is shown throughout the text in a few different ways such as the way she talks about her children Maggie and Dee, and the interactions between her and Dee with Dee’s change in name, and the argument over the quilts.
"Everyday Use" is told from momma's point of view which helps to reveal how she feels about herself. Momma feels that she is an uneducated person, she says "I never had an education myself," this creates barriers between her and her oldest daughter Dee who has a college education (94). She describes herself as "big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands" that wears overalls by day and flannel gowns by night (93). From momma's point of view one can tell that she favors her relationship with her daughter Maggie mo...
Julian Symons suggests that the murder of the old man is motiveless, and unconnected with passion or profit (212). But in a deeper sense, the murder does have a purpose: to ensure that the narrator does not have to endure the haunting of the Evil Eye any longer. To a madman, this is as good of a reason as any; in the mind of a madman, reason does not always win out over emotion.
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.
The words “caution” and “foresight” illustrate the countless minutes the narrator thoughtfully took into his time to spy on his next victim. The way he moves so carefully not only exhibits stealthy movement at its finest, but a wonderful demonstration of superb effort. Because he casually crept the old man’s house like it were a breeze with such industry, he confirms his sanity distinctly in the eyes of the readers. Using this stealthy aspect and moving with such comprehension, the narrator readily endures the undertaking of the old man’s precious soul by continuing his crafty work in silence. He mutely lurks, a dark, mysterious figure in the shadows for a continuous eight days, working tremendously, his eyes locked with the lids of the man’s, eyeing the horrendous eye that remains haunting him and cunningly preparing to attack (1).
Dee is unappreciative and disrespectful to her own mother and eventually, as with nearly everything; enough is enough and Mama stood up for herself, completely transforming herself as a character. It is necessary in life to treat others the way that you would like to be treated. This seems to be a saying that Mama lived by, but her daughter didn’t reciprocate back to her. “Everyday Use” teaches the reader many lessons of the importance of a family and how easily individuals could be shaped by the world around
Essay of “Everyday Use” In the story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker there are many significant themes that are used. Each theme used in the story is supported by great imagery as well. This story features conflict between the main characters Dee and Mama. The story shortly references each situation from the past and present.
The narrator sees the old man's fears on the night of the murder as identical to his own” (Amper). In response to this identification, the narrator may have murdered the old man under the assumption that killing him would release the narrator from his own fears. Essentially, the interaction between the narrator’s insanity and morality
He goes about describing the murder very calmly, and almost as if he is proud of what he did. He states "I smiled as I felt success was near" as he beats the old man to death. He even rejoices when the deed is done, stating "He was dead!... his eye would trouble me no more!" When one considers the deed that was just done, the reader must feel equal parts disgust and horror.
Whenever it [the old man’s vulture eye] fell upon me my blood ran cold...very gradually, I made up my mind to take the life of the old man” (12). The old man, that the narrator cares for, has an eye with a white film over it. Every time the narrator lays eyes on the eye, as stated above, he freaks out and is terrified of it. The narrator loves the old man, but he does not love the old man's eye. Every night for a week, the narrator watches the old man sleep, in hopes that he will see the eye and murder the old man when he is asleep.