Everyday Use By Alice Walker Analysis

Alice Malsenior Walker is an African American author and activist who write of various personal experiences, including the black woman’s struggle. Walker describes herself as a “womanist: a woman who loves other women… Appreciates and prefers woman culture, woman’s emotional flexibility… and woman’s strength… Loves the spirit… Loves herself, regardless”. Walker writes through her feelings and the morals that she has grown with. One of her famous quotes, "It is important to remember yourself," quoted from her appearance at a Miami Book Fair in 1989, where she discussed her 1988’s essay collection, including The Temple of My Familiar, relates to her short story Everyday Use. By not remembering who you are you can grow to be disconnected from yourself. Alice Walker’s short story Everyday Use successfully shows readers how it is possible for one to lose sight of what is important. This essay describes how Walker designed the story to reveal to readers the values of serving heritage and culture. Through the perspective of the protagonist “Mama,’ Walker shows the differences between the two sisters,
Mama tries to be influential on the cultural side towards her daughters Dee, who renamed herself to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo and Maggie, who still lives at home with Mama. But Maggie turned out to be the only one who is exactly like Mama. Everyday Use contains antecedent action in its exposition to show readers that Mama is the back bone of the family. As they grew up, they didn’t have very much. Mama only has 2nd grade level of education but very willingly, she wants her children to do better than she did. Therefore, Mama supports them. Throughout their lives Mama tried to instill values in Dee and Maggie. Walker shows the juxtaposition between Maggie and Dee to reveal to the reader how people can develop different values throughout their lives, even though they come from the same