Passing And Everyday Use Analysis
Losing Your Culture Culture, a building block of society, and the individual spirit throughout the world. Individuals Culture and Heritage were as a whole on the frontlines for many African Americans during the twentieth century for it was an under appreciated topic due to racism. In the stories Passing and Everyday Use, the main theme revolved around the loss of culture due to their color of skin. One of the Characters from Everyday Use such as Dee and Irene or Clare from Passing, felt unappreciated and that they were lesser individuals all based upon the color of there skin due to all the rights and mistreatments that hampered the African American Population. The two stories can be used closely to explain the topic of race and inequality,
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even though both stories have very diverse plots. Regardless, Clare and Irene’s passing back and forth from black to white can be correlated to Dee and her conversion to the Islamic faith. In the two stories, the theme of a lacking culture plays a huge role in establishing the feeling of uneasiness and hardships that as a society the African Americans of the mid 1900’s felt. The Resistance to ones culture can be seen most accurately by Clare in the Passing by her uppe, white lifestyle. Pamela Caughie, best describes this appearance in the story by saying “Clare, by ‘passing,’ seems to have forsaken her racial heritage and acts as if she has no racial past”(Caughie 4). Clare is the atypical selfish character that does things for her even if that means stepping over the things that she once had a heart for. Clare at one point was actually married to a white supremacist, which does show that she has no care for her race and the societal view of it, only her possible gain that she may receive from the marriage. Irene is a more different character from Clare, she worked for the improvement of blacks within society, or as Caughie calls her, a “race woman.” Irene does manage to pass so she can live a life much like the whites do with the best stores and the better restaurants, but she never forgets where she came from which is something to be commended. The reason that Irene’s life is so much greater then Clare’s is the fact that she never sold her race out she never forgot where she came from her roots. It is only the jealousy that brings her back to Harlem, her roots. After all the years spent away from her culture, through Irene, she finally realizes she will never be truly happy unless she accepts where she came from and keeps the bonds with the ones that she once held close to her heart. Clare shows us a very thought provoking theme and that is that materialism can only bring someone a temporary happiness; where as where she came from her heritage and culture are what could fill the voids that that materialistic life never could. Everyday Use has quite a few symbols and themes that can be viewed through the family of women, Dee more then the rest. David Cowart from Newberry College describes Dee’s lack of cultural stability as “An American who attempts to become an African succeeds only in becoming a phony… Wangero proclaims a deplorable degree of alienation from her rural origins and family”(Cowart 2). In an effort to be more connected with her ancestors, Dee actually distances herself from what her culture was really about. Dee’s personal dreams and aspirations to elude oppression led her further and further from what she needed the most and that was family. An example of her hate towards her roots and how she was brought up is the rejoicing that takes place within Dee’s core from the burning down of their house at the beginning of the story. She sought out to escape all the things that represented a poor life and through her eyes she had seen that she had finally succeeded in doing this. Maggie and Dee are complete opposites when it comes to breaking down there character in the story. Maggie and her mother display a very true and engaging love for one another. They embrace what they have come from although they are still on the bad side of the tracks per say, but they live very gratifying lives ones to be proud of. Dee misunderstands what her black culture is all about, which explains why she is so blind to the pathetic life she is living. Everyday Use and Passing have many similarities within their characters that support the concept of a loss of culture. Both stories have a focus upon the character that tries to elude their heritage and there roots in search of the idealistic life. Clare and Dee are similar in they strive to get out of there lifestyles that they leave there families behind as if there trying to forget where they came from, there childhood. The truth here is both characters are trying to become something they never really can be, living in the world of arrogance and conceit. Cowart elaborates on the female’s situations when he says, “the dilemma of African Americans, who, in striving to escape prejudice and poverty, risk a terrible deracination, a sundering from all that has sustained and defined them” (Cowart 1). Dee’s conversions to Islam and Clare’s assimilation into white society are very much alike. They make significant changes within their lives to fit in with a careless crowd but lose themselves in the mix. There is a sense of shame that shrouds the stories because the women feel disgraceful for their acts against their race. Some examples would be that when the mother gives Maggie the quilt that she has made and when Irene meets Clare’s husband. At this point in the stories, it is obvious that Clare and Dee have begun to regret the decisions they have made to leave behind their cultures. Metaphorically speaking, Dee is just as dead as Clare (after the fall off the balcony) because she had given up all that she truly was and now was living a fake life. Although Clare and Dee are very similar, Irene and her family are very different from that of Maggie and her mother.
Maggie and her mother have an unbreakable bond a relationship that has the highest most profound unconditional love. Their culture and lifestyle are the simple lives, while every little detail everything about them shows characteristics of where they came from and what they put there time into. Irene is not as comfortable with her own self as Maggie and her mother are. She passes quite frequently so she can take advantage of the fact that she has lighter skin then most, but who can blame her for wanting the idealistic life when everyone wants it. At first, Irene and her husband seem caring and loving towards one another that embrace the black heritage. But as Clare comes around them, there oh so perfect relationship seems to be lacking a foundation and both of their flaws and weaknesses begin to show through. They fight and bicker more then the usual married couple, which is very contradictory of Maggie and her mother. While Irene even admits to not completely loving her husband with all of her heart. Her husband wants to leave everything in their lives behind even there heritage, Harlem. Just to move to Brazil with hope that they can escape the prejudice. During that time of discrimination it was easier to just move to another country in order to live an ideal life. Ultimately, Brian himself would be fitting in with Dee and Clare in the fact that …show more content…
he would be evading his heritage. In time it’s assumable that he would find that it was not worth it that it was less of a trouble then he thinks. Maggie and her mother are the perfect examples onto the characters in Passing for how to live your life, one of humility. In a symbolic way, Brian Redfield from Passing and the quilts in Everyday Use serve as the same story builders for each story. Brian and the quilts are the trophy possessions for the women within the stories. In Everyday Use, Dee wants the quilts because they would be a reminder of her heritage and where she came from since she has forgotten. After all, her grandmother that she was named after at birth made them. Maggie is far more deserving of the quilts because she is more like her grandmother then Dee ever would be. Maggie would have actually appreciated the quilts and used them for what they should be used for. Also, Clare and Irene both long for Brian’s heart. He represents a successful African American man, who has climbed to the top and can offer the lifestyle both want. Brian’s dark skin makes it so they women don’t feel so guilty for leaving there heritage behind its almost as if he is a symbol of heritage for them. In the end, Brian chooses the right woman and goes with Irene and not Clare who is self-absorbed, just like the mother made the best decision by choosing the good and faithful child, Maggie. Authors Nella Larsen and Alice Walker lived in the times of racial discrimination and color bias that is why when on the topic of race they are compelling writers.
They lived similar lives as the characters within their stories. For example, Larsen establishes the sad part of her life with in the characters Clare and Irene. Larsen grew up in a white household where she went under appreciated much like the character Clare who was abused by her aunts. Also, Larsen was light-skinned and her early marriage fell apart because of a poor decision made by her husband, which equalizes with Irene’s situation where she has potentially married an unfaithful man. Additionally, Walker grew up very secluded after her eye accident where she was shot with a BB gun (Kane 1). This moment in her life is very much comparable to Maggie in the fact that she received burns from the house fire and became secluded. They both became afraid of going out and living life. Walker’s style is a definition of the African American heritage because of her simple clothing, hospitable personality, and her long- dreaded hair. Larsen and Walker are the reason for why Passing and Everyday Use are genuine stories about race. Their lives were full of culture and discrimination and translated into excellent stories that describe the mood of an African American’s life in the twentieth century, although
fiction. The theme of losing your culture in Passing and Everyday Use is very effective in proving that culture and heritage are essential in living a full profound life one that you can be proud of. Each one of the two stories shows that when a character leaves behind what made them who they are they become something shallow in accordance to lifestyle. For example, Clare leaves her culture behind and turns practically into a full white woman, and becomes frustrated with her isolated life. She cannot do all of things she was once able to do she cant present herself as she once did or even talk with the same people that she once did. The fact is that people believe in escaping what they came from as the ultimate means of happiness, but our heritage no matter how far we run from it is not very far behind. It is a genuine society and a moral code that bring people true contentment. Think about Maggie and her mother who are very poor and live the simple life, but love the lives they live. The love they have for one another is all that matters to them its far more greater then fancy clothes and diamond rings. Dee was full of hate and she never grasped the concept that you are to embrace who you really are and where you came from. Being able to appreciate where you came from fulfills your life. That is the goal of Walker and Larsen within writing these stories is to show the reader that no matter what you do where you go, your family and culture will never be far from you that they are a necessity for a good and happy life.
Works Cited
Caughie, Pamela L. ""Not Entirely Strange, ... not Entirely Friendly": Passing and Pedagogy. " College English 54.7 (1992): 775-793. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.
Cowart, David. "Heritage and deracination in Walker 's "Everyday Use". " Studies in Short Fiction 33.2 (1996): 171-184. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.
Garrison-Harrison, C. (2007).
Gardner, E.. "In Search of Nella Larsen: A Biography of the Color Line. " Callaloo 32.1 (2009): 288-291. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.
Kane, Matthew. "Alice Walker." Virgin Media 2001. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. .
even though both stories have very diverse plots. Regardless, Clare and Irene’s passing back and forth from black to white can be correlated to Dee and her conversion to the Islamic faith. In the two stories, the theme of a lacking culture plays a huge role in establishing the feeling of uneasiness and hardships that as a society the African Americans of the mid 1900’s felt. The Resistance to ones culture can be seen most accurately by Clare in the Passing by her uppe, white lifestyle. Pamela Caughie, best describes this appearance in the story by saying “Clare, by ‘passing,’ seems to have forsaken her racial heritage and acts as if she has no racial past”(Caughie 4). Clare is the atypical selfish character that does things for her even if that means stepping over the things that she once had a heart for. Clare at one point was actually married to a white supremacist, which does show that she has no care for her race and the societal view of it, only her possible gain that she may receive from the marriage. Irene is a more different character from Clare, she worked for the improvement of blacks within society, or as Caughie calls her, a “race woman.” Irene does manage to pass so she can live a life much like the whites do with the best stores and the better restaurants, but she never forgets where she came from which is something to be commended. The reason that Irene’s life is so much greater then Clare’s is the fact that she never sold her race out she never forgot where she came from her roots. It is only the jealousy that brings her back to Harlem, her roots. After all the years spent away from her culture, through Irene, she finally realizes she will never be truly happy unless she accepts where she came from and keeps the bonds with the ones that she once held close to her heart. Clare shows us a very thought provoking theme and that is that materialism can only bring someone a temporary happiness; where as where she came from her heritage and culture are what could fill the voids that that materialistic life never could. Everyday Use has quite a few symbols and themes that can be viewed through the family of women, Dee more then the rest. David Cowart from Newberry College describes Dee’s lack of cultural stability as “An American who attempts to become an African succeeds only in becoming a phony… Wangero proclaims a deplorable degree of alienation from her rural origins and family”(Cowart 2). In an effort to be more connected with her ancestors, Dee actually distances herself from what her culture was really about. Dee’s personal dreams and aspirations to elude oppression led her further and further from what she needed the most and that was family. An example of her hate towards her roots and how she was brought up is the rejoicing that takes place within Dee’s core from the burning down of their house at the beginning of the story. She sought out to escape all the things that represented a poor life and through her eyes she had seen that she had finally succeeded in doing this. Maggie and Dee are complete opposites when it comes to breaking down there character in the story. Maggie and her mother display a very true and engaging love for one another. They embrace what they have come from although they are still on the bad side of the tracks per say, but they live very gratifying lives ones to be proud of. Dee misunderstands what her black culture is all about, which explains why she is so blind to the pathetic life she is living. Everyday Use and Passing have many similarities within their characters that support the concept of a loss of culture. Both stories have a focus upon the character that tries to elude their heritage and there roots in search of the idealistic life. Clare and Dee are similar in they strive to get out of there lifestyles that they leave there families behind as if there trying to forget where they came from, there childhood. The truth here is both characters are trying to become something they never really can be, living in the world of arrogance and conceit. Cowart elaborates on the female’s situations when he says, “the dilemma of African Americans, who, in striving to escape prejudice and poverty, risk a terrible deracination, a sundering from all that has sustained and defined them” (Cowart 1). Dee’s conversions to Islam and Clare’s assimilation into white society are very much alike. They make significant changes within their lives to fit in with a careless crowd but lose themselves in the mix. There is a sense of shame that shrouds the stories because the women feel disgraceful for their acts against their race. Some examples would be that when the mother gives Maggie the quilt that she has made and when Irene meets Clare’s husband. At this point in the stories, it is obvious that Clare and Dee have begun to regret the decisions they have made to leave behind their cultures. Metaphorically speaking, Dee is just as dead as Clare (after the fall off the balcony) because she had given up all that she truly was and now was living a fake life. Although Clare and Dee are very similar, Irene and her family are very different from that of Maggie and her mother.
Maggie and her mother have an unbreakable bond a relationship that has the highest most profound unconditional love. Their culture and lifestyle are the simple lives, while every little detail everything about them shows characteristics of where they came from and what they put there time into. Irene is not as comfortable with her own self as Maggie and her mother are. She passes quite frequently so she can take advantage of the fact that she has lighter skin then most, but who can blame her for wanting the idealistic life when everyone wants it. At first, Irene and her husband seem caring and loving towards one another that embrace the black heritage. But as Clare comes around them, there oh so perfect relationship seems to be lacking a foundation and both of their flaws and weaknesses begin to show through. They fight and bicker more then the usual married couple, which is very contradictory of Maggie and her mother. While Irene even admits to not completely loving her husband with all of her heart. Her husband wants to leave everything in their lives behind even there heritage, Harlem. Just to move to Brazil with hope that they can escape the prejudice. During that time of discrimination it was easier to just move to another country in order to live an ideal life. Ultimately, Brian himself would be fitting in with Dee and Clare in the fact that …show more content…
he would be evading his heritage. In time it’s assumable that he would find that it was not worth it that it was less of a trouble then he thinks. Maggie and her mother are the perfect examples onto the characters in Passing for how to live your life, one of humility. In a symbolic way, Brian Redfield from Passing and the quilts in Everyday Use serve as the same story builders for each story. Brian and the quilts are the trophy possessions for the women within the stories. In Everyday Use, Dee wants the quilts because they would be a reminder of her heritage and where she came from since she has forgotten. After all, her grandmother that she was named after at birth made them. Maggie is far more deserving of the quilts because she is more like her grandmother then Dee ever would be. Maggie would have actually appreciated the quilts and used them for what they should be used for. Also, Clare and Irene both long for Brian’s heart. He represents a successful African American man, who has climbed to the top and can offer the lifestyle both want. Brian’s dark skin makes it so they women don’t feel so guilty for leaving there heritage behind its almost as if he is a symbol of heritage for them. In the end, Brian chooses the right woman and goes with Irene and not Clare who is self-absorbed, just like the mother made the best decision by choosing the good and faithful child, Maggie. Authors Nella Larsen and Alice Walker lived in the times of racial discrimination and color bias that is why when on the topic of race they are compelling writers.
They lived similar lives as the characters within their stories. For example, Larsen establishes the sad part of her life with in the characters Clare and Irene. Larsen grew up in a white household where she went under appreciated much like the character Clare who was abused by her aunts. Also, Larsen was light-skinned and her early marriage fell apart because of a poor decision made by her husband, which equalizes with Irene’s situation where she has potentially married an unfaithful man. Additionally, Walker grew up very secluded after her eye accident where she was shot with a BB gun (Kane 1). This moment in her life is very much comparable to Maggie in the fact that she received burns from the house fire and became secluded. They both became afraid of going out and living life. Walker’s style is a definition of the African American heritage because of her simple clothing, hospitable personality, and her long- dreaded hair. Larsen and Walker are the reason for why Passing and Everyday Use are genuine stories about race. Their lives were full of culture and discrimination and translated into excellent stories that describe the mood of an African American’s life in the twentieth century, although
fiction. The theme of losing your culture in Passing and Everyday Use is very effective in proving that culture and heritage are essential in living a full profound life one that you can be proud of. Each one of the two stories shows that when a character leaves behind what made them who they are they become something shallow in accordance to lifestyle. For example, Clare leaves her culture behind and turns practically into a full white woman, and becomes frustrated with her isolated life. She cannot do all of things she was once able to do she cant present herself as she once did or even talk with the same people that she once did. The fact is that people believe in escaping what they came from as the ultimate means of happiness, but our heritage no matter how far we run from it is not very far behind. It is a genuine society and a moral code that bring people true contentment. Think about Maggie and her mother who are very poor and live the simple life, but love the lives they live. The love they have for one another is all that matters to them its far more greater then fancy clothes and diamond rings. Dee was full of hate and she never grasped the concept that you are to embrace who you really are and where you came from. Being able to appreciate where you came from fulfills your life. That is the goal of Walker and Larsen within writing these stories is to show the reader that no matter what you do where you go, your family and culture will never be far from you that they are a necessity for a good and happy life.
Works Cited
Caughie, Pamela L. ""Not Entirely Strange, ... not Entirely Friendly": Passing and Pedagogy. " College English 54.7 (1992): 775-793. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.
Cowart, David. "Heritage and deracination in Walker 's "Everyday Use". " Studies in Short Fiction 33.2 (1996): 171-184. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.
Garrison-Harrison, C. (2007).
Gardner, E.. "In Search of Nella Larsen: A Biography of the Color Line. " Callaloo 32.1 (2009): 288-291. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.
Kane, Matthew. "Alice Walker." Virgin Media 2001. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. .