Dee Family Heirlooms Analysis

Dee’s hatred of the house therefore makes sense, since “Dee wanted nice things” (Walker 266). In an effort to help Dee gain nice things, her mother and the church raised money for Dee to move to Augusta to attend school (Walker 265). In the passage, we learn that Dee, having returned from Augusta, is suddenly interested in family heirlooms, whereas in the past she did not care for them. The things that Dee wanted to leave behind, she now seems to find charming. This essay will analyze the passage and how it shows that Dee now appreciates the family heirlooms, but for artistic/decorative reasons rather than the usefulness of the objects. To achieve this, the essay will focus on the heirlooms’ history, Dee’s desire to use them as art rather than
for everyday use, and how Dee’s changing her name (to Wangero) relates to her attitude regarding the heirlooms. Dee appreciates the family heirlooms now, whereas before she did not. For example, she states, “‘I never knew how lovely these benches are’” (Walker 268). Specifically, Dee is charmed by how the objects, such as the benches, have been worn down through use, to the extent that the benches bear “rump prints,” which is an interesting figure of speech (Walker 268). In addition, she is interested in the objects because family members made them. While Dee and Maggie’s father made the benches, Dee confirms that her Uncle Buddy made the butter churn top, and Uncle Henry (or Stash) whittled the dasher (Walker 268). There is significant repetition here, as even the butter dish is referred to in terms of where it came from, as “Grandma Dee's butter dish” (Walker 268). Later in the story, Dee finds two quilts that she wants to take, as they were crafted by her mother and Aunt Dee, and include pieces of clothing from older generations (Walker 269). Thus, through repetition Walker makes it plain that Dee is now interested in taking objects that are heirlooms from her family home, whereas before she was not. Dee’s mother offered some quilts when Dee went to Augusta, but was told by Dee that, “they were old-fashioned, out of style” (Walker 269). Dee’s change in perspective regarding the value of the family heirlooms leads the reader to wonder what has caused this change.
In the selected passage, we learn that Dee wants the churn top to use it as “a centerpiece for the alcove table” (Walker 268). The use of the term “alcove” here is interesting, as it suggests that Dee now lives in a fancier house than her mother and sister do, despite the fact that this information is not expressed explicitly. Dee’s wanting to take the churn top is arguably selfish, as it seems that the churn is still used by the family, considering that it contains milk that is “clabber by now” (Walker 268). Since the churn contains sour, thickened milk (clabber), it may not have been used for a while, but this suggests it is still used sometimes. In addition to the churn top, Dee wants to take the dasher, stating that, “‘I'll think of something artistic to do with the dasher’” (Walker 268). In this case, Dee is again selfish, wanting to take an object that is actually used by her family to make butter, to instead use it in her new home as part of an art piece. This issue arises again later in the story when Dee wants to take the two old quilts but, rather than using them to stay warm, she wants to hang them on the wall (Walker 269). The contrast between Dee’s desire to use the churn parts for decoration and their actual purpose is evident towards the end of the passage when Dee’s mother reflects on how years of using the dasher have left “a lot
of small sinks” in the wooden handle, where “sinks” is an interesting word choice to mean impressions. Thus, in the selected passage we learn more about how Dee is not interested in the value that the parts of the butter churn (or the quilts) might have in terms of their everyday use. Instead, Dee is interested in these family heirlooms for their artistic/decorative value, as she feels, at least in the case of the quilts, that her sister cannot appreciate how “priceless” the objects are (Walker 269). Another interesting aspect of this passage is how it relates to Dee’s changing of her name to Wangero. She thinks the name came from someone who oppressed her, but her mother clarifies that the name was passed down through previous family members, and Dee was named after her Aunt Dicie or “Big Dee” (Walker 267). In the selected passage, the name Dee is repeated a few times, in reference to “Grandma Dee's butter dish,” “‘Aunt Dee's first husband’” who made the dasher, and “the yard where Big Dee and Stash had lived,” which is where the wood for the dasher came from. The reader is repeatedly reminded that Dee (now Wagnero) wants these family heirlooms that are connected to people she was named after, yet she does not want to actually use the name she was given, which connects her to her family members. Arguably, this heavily reinforces the point of the entire story, as Dee is portrayed as someone who does not really value the usefulness of things (including her name’s usefulness as a way to stay connected to her family history), instead being only able to appreciate old things for their possible artistic/decorative value. Dee wants to be fashionable and have style (Walker 266)—this is why she is now interested in her family’s heirlooms, because they now seem stylish to her. In conclusion, the main purpose of this passage is to show how Dee’s perspective has shifted, as she now appreciates the old family heirlooms that she previously did not care about.
Walker makes this point clear through her repetition of how objects are connected to the family. However, through repetition Walker also emphasizes that Dee is interested in the heirlooms (the churn top, dasher and quilts) as artistic or decorative pieces, rather than in terms of their everyday usefulness. Finally, the passage takes on a greater meaning within the context of the whole story when it is understood that Dee now desires these family heirlooms in order to be fashionable. Her carelessness in this regard, however, is evident from how she wants these heirlooms, but yet she changed her name, which connected her to her family. Overall, considering Dee’s selfishness and focus on fashion rather than family, it is good that Dee’s mother refuses to give Dee the old quilts at the story’s end (Walker
270).