Everyday Use By Alice Walker Analysis
"Everyday Use": Todays view on Culture and Heritage
In "Everyday Use," Alice Walker tells a story of a mother's conflicted relationship with her two daughters. At face value the story tells of "Mama" gradually denying the superficial values or her elder, more socially accepted, daughter "Dee," and begins to favor the more practical views of her less fortunate daughter "Maggie." As clear a story as this may seem, there are many undercurrents open to a deeper interpretation. The story as a whole, was a good one, and seemingly aimed at an African American audience. I personally thoroughly enjoyed the story, both for its rich characterization, and the ideals which it represents. Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" tells a story set in the years …show more content…
She sees her heritage as that of both African and American, there is no denying the fact that she and the rest of her family were in fact born and raised, in America. Dee seems to be all wrapped up in the ideals of the "Black Power" movement, without seeing both sides of the argument. I think that Walker was trying to convey a point by saying that many disciples of this movement, do not wholeheartedly apply themselves, and are only among the crowd because it's the thing to do. Mama is described as "a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man." This description, along with her reference to a 2nd grade education, leads the reader to believe that this woman takes pride in the practical aspects of her nature and that she has not spent a great deal of time contemplating abstract concepts such as heritage. But towards the end of the story, I think that she follows her gut instinct to give the quilts to Maggie not only because she will put them to "everyday use" but because she realizes that Dee is trying to be something that she is not. The story as a whole is open to a whole slew of other interpretations, many contradicting my own, but as I read the story, this is what it made me
In "Everyday Use," Alice Walker tells a story of a mother's conflicted relationship with her two daughters. At face value the story tells of "Mama" gradually denying the superficial values or her elder, more socially accepted, daughter "Dee," and begins to favor the more practical views of her less fortunate daughter "Maggie." As clear a story as this may seem, there are many undercurrents open to a deeper interpretation. The story as a whole, was a good one, and seemingly aimed at an African American audience. I personally thoroughly enjoyed the story, both for its rich characterization, and the ideals which it represents. Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" tells a story set in the years …show more content…
She sees her heritage as that of both African and American, there is no denying the fact that she and the rest of her family were in fact born and raised, in America. Dee seems to be all wrapped up in the ideals of the "Black Power" movement, without seeing both sides of the argument. I think that Walker was trying to convey a point by saying that many disciples of this movement, do not wholeheartedly apply themselves, and are only among the crowd because it's the thing to do. Mama is described as "a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. In the winter I wear flannel nightgowns to bed and overalls during the day. I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man." This description, along with her reference to a 2nd grade education, leads the reader to believe that this woman takes pride in the practical aspects of her nature and that she has not spent a great deal of time contemplating abstract concepts such as heritage. But towards the end of the story, I think that she follows her gut instinct to give the quilts to Maggie not only because she will put them to "everyday use" but because she realizes that Dee is trying to be something that she is not. The story as a whole is open to a whole slew of other interpretations, many contradicting my own, but as I read the story, this is what it made me