Heritage And Culture In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

In the story “Everyday Use,” author Alice Walker tells a story about the relationship an individual chooses to have with their culture through characters Mama, Dee, and Maggie. The story starts off with Mama and her youngest daughter Maggie waiting for Dee, her older daughter to visit from college. When Dee arrives, she shows up with new attire, a new name, and a man named Asalamalakim, also known as Hakim-a-barber. Quilting is used in the story as a symbol. For centuries, women have been associated with textiles through weaving and sewing. Although this has been primarily connected to mandatory labor, women have historically made quilts with significant meanings. Therefore, the quilt symbolizes heritage and culture and the conflict over the
When Dee wanted to keep the quilt Mama originally promised Maggie to hang up on her wall, the issue about a lack of understanding about culture in heritage is brought up. In African culture, making quilts is very important because each patch tells a story and in the end, Maggie gets to keep the quilt due to these circumstances. The reason being is because although Dee seemed more persistent to have the quilt, she would not have used it for its purpose unlike Maggie.
Connecting with one’s culture is more than changing names or wearing new clothes. It is about embracing and viewing yourself within the heritage. Walker used Dee as an example of a person who knows little about their heritage and uses material items to, “make a statement,” although it is meaningless. Dee lacks an understanding of her heritage mainly because she is rejecting the ways of her mother and younger sister, but finds value in the quilts that have
Growing up, Mama did not have access to an education due to the school closing with no intention of reopening again. The reason being racism, passive acceptance, and other things out of her control. Since Mama did not have an education, she wanted Dee to have that opportunity even though she struggled. Yes, Dee going to school was beneficial for her because of the education, it was divisive because it drove a wedge between her family and made her forget about her true sense of self. However, Maggie has been affected as well. By her lack of education, she cannot read well, she has always done what she has been told, and has not experienced a world outside of her home causing her to adjust to her conditions. This has led to self fulfilment. Walker in a way, set up Dee and Maggie’s characters to be opposites to reveal an ironic contradiction. Dee’s quest for knowledge has led to the alienation between her and her family, while the lack of education has harmed and set Maggie back. Both education and the lack of it have proven to be dangerous for the