Character Analysis Of Maggie In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

Ever felt uncomfortable being in a burnt body? Everyday use by Alice Walker is a short story about a mother “mama” and her daughter Maggie who was waiting for her other daughter named Dee to return home. Maggie is a character that stood out because she was someone who battled being burned in a house fire as a child. This character can be described as ashamed, dutiful, and good-hearted. Maggie can be described as ashamed for many reasons. For example, she was caught in a house fire as a child and was left with ugly skin, that she didn’t feel comfortable in. Her skin affected her so badly to the point she was ashamed to be around her older sister because her sister was pretty, smart, and determined. On page 147 it says, “Maggie will be
nervous until after her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe”. Therefore, Maggie felt that her sister was better than her because she was involved in the house fire. Another example was Maggie was compared to a lame animal and how she walked in shame. On page 148 it says, “She has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, felt in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground”. Therefore, the way Maggie walked showed how ashamed she was about the incident. From these examples, it is clear that the house fired defined Maggie as being ashamed of the accident that occurred. Maggie can also be described as jealous. This is apparent when her sister arrived to their house with her pretty dress on. On page 150 it says, “The dress is loose and flows, and as she walks closer, I like it. I hear Maggie go “Uhnnnh” again”. This shows that Maggie is jealous of her sister and the ways e