Mama's Roles In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

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In the story Everyday Use by Alice Walker, we learn about a family that includes a mom called “Mama” and two very different daughters named Dee and Maggie. One daughter, Dee, has had a much easier life than her sister, Maggie, in many aspects. The relationship between Mama and her daughters provides the basis for Mama’s actions. The story is told from the perspective of Mama, allowing readers to learn about her thoughts and the motivation behind her actions. At the beginning of the story, Mama worries about what Dee thinks of her and tries to please her by giving her anything she asks for. By the end of the story, we see Mama changes because she stands up to Dee, resulting in her finally able to give Maggie something she desires. Mama changes because she realizes Dee shouldn’t control her actions and that Maggie deserves better treatment. Mama’s choice to stand up to Dee is crucial to understanding her character because we’ve seen how Dee has controlled Maggie and Mama for a long time and this action shows a turning point in all of their lives. First, we learn that Mama is tough because she works hard to provide for her girls. We know this because she describes …show more content…

We see the insight she gains when she realizes that Dee has been controlling her and Maggie’s lives for quite awhile. Likewise, we see how this insight brings her to finally stand up to her self-centered daughter, Dee. She also gains insight about her other daughter Maggie, when she realizes Maggie is constantly in Dee’s shadow and deserves her full attention. Mama’s action to say no to Dee affects Maggie as well because she finally gets something she deserves and Mama knows she deserves it for her troubled past. After this realization, the reader can conclude that Mama is a dynamic character who changes from giving Dee everything she wants to sticking up for Maggie by finally saying no to

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