The 1973 Short Story 'Everyday Use'

The 1973 short story “Everyday Use” takes place in rural Georgia. The Narrator, who identifies herself as Mrs. Johnson, addressed as Mama by her two daughters, is stereotypical at first, but on further analysis, she embodies the working colored woman in the rural South. Despite not having the education that one wants, Mama has a strong mind, a strong sense of her identity, and a detailed knowledge of her heritage and family history. Mama is witty, cynical, and brutally honest. Mama lives at home with her younger daughter Maggie, who was horribly scarred in a house fire some ten years or so before the time of the story. Mama describes Maggie as “a lame animal, a dog ran over by some careless person rich enough to own a car.” Mama describes