Everyday Use
Feminism & African-American Culture:
Everyday Use
Candi Walker
English 2140
Daniel Marshall
November 29, 2007
Candi Walker
Dan Marshall
Literary Studies
November 29, 2007
Everyday Use by Alice Walker:
Feminism & African-American Criticism
Alice Walker’s Everyday Use tells the story of a mother and her two daughters who live in the rural South. Ms. Johnson, the narrator of the story is a middle aged African-American woman who has single handily struggled to raise her two daughters while taking care of the household chores. Walker explains the significant differences between the narrator’s daughters. The older daughter Dee is a well educated and sophisticated young lady who leaves home to obtain additional education. Maggie, the very shy and traditionally skilled daughter suffers physically and emotionally from a house fire. Ms. Johnson mentions how beautiful Dee’s feet are and how “God himself had shaped them with a certain style” and later refers to Maggie’s walk as that of a lame animal. (Walker 327) Dee is the child that receives everything that she wants and does not understand the meaning of no and there is Maggie who is used to never winning. The story ends with an argument over a family heirloom, quilts that have been passed down from generations. Dee wants the quilts but Ms. Johnson has already promised the quilts to Maggie. Walker describes Mrs. Johnson as a hard working loving mother never showing favoritism towards either of her daughters. She characterizes the narrator as an uneducated but wise mother. Each character in the story has their own unique personality and each unique character is easily identifiable in every African-American woman. This paper will carefully analyze Alice Walker’s, Everyday Use and reveal the African-American culture and Walker’s feministic approach. As stated in an article in the Oxford University Press titled The Feminist Approach, “Feminist criticism has affinities with a number of other
Everyday Use
Candi Walker
English 2140
Daniel Marshall
November 29, 2007
Candi Walker
Dan Marshall
Literary Studies
November 29, 2007
Everyday Use by Alice Walker:
Feminism & African-American Criticism
Alice Walker’s Everyday Use tells the story of a mother and her two daughters who live in the rural South. Ms. Johnson, the narrator of the story is a middle aged African-American woman who has single handily struggled to raise her two daughters while taking care of the household chores. Walker explains the significant differences between the narrator’s daughters. The older daughter Dee is a well educated and sophisticated young lady who leaves home to obtain additional education. Maggie, the very shy and traditionally skilled daughter suffers physically and emotionally from a house fire. Ms. Johnson mentions how beautiful Dee’s feet are and how “God himself had shaped them with a certain style” and later refers to Maggie’s walk as that of a lame animal. (Walker 327) Dee is the child that receives everything that she wants and does not understand the meaning of no and there is Maggie who is used to never winning. The story ends with an argument over a family heirloom, quilts that have been passed down from generations. Dee wants the quilts but Ms. Johnson has already promised the quilts to Maggie. Walker describes Mrs. Johnson as a hard working loving mother never showing favoritism towards either of her daughters. She characterizes the narrator as an uneducated but wise mother. Each character in the story has their own unique personality and each unique character is easily identifiable in every African-American woman. This paper will carefully analyze Alice Walker’s, Everyday Use and reveal the African-American culture and Walker’s feministic approach. As stated in an article in the Oxford University Press titled The Feminist Approach, “Feminist criticism has affinities with a number of other
Bibliography: Hazel V. Carby. Reconstructing Womanhood: The Emergence of the Afro-American Woman Novelist (New York: Oxford University Pre,1987) Alice Walker. "Everyday Use". Literature of Portable Anthology. Janet E. Gardner, Beverly Lawn, Jack Ridl, Peter Schakel. Bedford/St. Martins, 2004. 325-331. Sam Whitsitt. In Spite of It All: A Reading of Alice Walker 's "Everyday Use". Critical Essay. African American Review, 2000 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2838/is_3_34/ai_6741339 In Real Life: Recovering the Feminine Past in Everyday Use. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. Wilfred L. Guerin, Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Ressmen, John R. Willingham. Oxford University Press. New York. 1999 (230-233)