Meaning Of Heritage In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

In the story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, we are introduced to a small family consisting of a loving mother and two daughters. The short story signifies the mother-daughter bond and includes two distinct meanings of the word heritage. One of the meanings can be related to thoughts, traditions and family items that have been handed down throughout the years, whereas, the other can be described as the African American culture.
The narrative begins with the narrator “Mama” awaiting the arrival of her oldest daughter “Dee”, who has left thanks to her mother and the church who raised money to grant her with the opportunity to receive an education at Agusta. She has always withheld a negative attitude towards Mama and Maggie. Dee can be described as the good-looking and intelligent sister who represents an urban black woman who has fled to cultural centers to obtain an education and become fluent in her
Mama had already promised to give them to Maggie once she got married, Dee repelled by the thought of this. “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” Dee argued. “She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” Mama defends Maggie by acknowledging “everyday use” was what she intended for the quilts. To Dee they would resemble a piece of art, but for Maggie they would remind her of her grandmother Dee, which was the real significance of the quilts. To avoid conflict Maggie agrees to let Dee keep the quilt, stating she can remember Grandma Dee even without the quilts. Growing tired of Dee’s attitude, for once Mama gained the power to stand up to Dee and tell her “No”. Before leaving, Dee claimed Mama didn’t understand her heritage and insulted Maggie by telling her she should make something out of herself. Maggie responded with a real smile. Enjoying her absence Mama and Maggie shared a peaceful and pleasant