Understanding Your Own Heritage In 'Everyday Use' By Alice Walker
Understanding Your Own Heritage
In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, Dee, Mama’s oldest daughter who later renames herself as Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, returns back home with her boyfriend Hakim-a-barber to hopefully inherit items that she feels to be important to her heritage. Dee becomes frustrated when Mama refuses to let her inherit the butter churn, the dasher, and the two quilts. The most important line in “Everyday Use” is when Dee becomes furious and tells Mama that she does not understand. Mama becomes puzzled and says, “What don’t I understand?” I want to know. Your heritage, “she said (496). This line is important for it shows the irony in that Dee is truly the one who lacks the understanding of her own heritage.
The butter churn
and dasher are items that present the irony in Dee’s understanding of her heritage. Having been the only one educated in her family, Dee feels superior to everyone in her family. She feels that she has so much knowledge that no one can prove her wrong, but when it comes to her own heritage, she lacks greatly in it. Dee sees the butter churn and dasher as items that are important to her heritage, but fails to understand their use. What she hopes to do after inheriting these items is to put them up for show. Dee tells Mama that she plans to use the butter churn for a “centerpiece for the alcove table” (495) and “think of something artistic to do with the dasher” (495). She sees the butter churn and the dasher to be materialistic; however, Mama sees them to be of practical use. Mama only kept the item because she found use in them. If it were not useful, it would only make sense to throw it away. The key point that Dee fails to understand is that these items were passed down from generation to generation to be used in a practical way rather than aesthetic way. The items gained their value and appreciation through its usage; not its aesthetic presentation.
Another item that presents the irony of Dee’s understanding of her heritage is the two quilts she wishes to inherit from Mama. These were the main items that Dee want to take back home. She wants these quilts for the same reason she has with the butter churn and dasher, the aesthetic presentation. Dee believes that the quilts hold historical and cultural value for they were stitched by hand and for the material that was used, but other than that, she found no use in the quilts except for hanging them on her wall. When Mama refuses to give Dee the quilts, she becomes frustrated because she believes that Mama cannot appreciate these quilts, but she is wrong. The point Dee fails to recognize is the usage of these quilts. Mama kept these quilts because they kept her warm and reminded her of the people that the quilt represented, but Dee is only interested in them because they can add décor to her house. Dee leaves Mama’s house in disappointment for she believes her mother fails to recognize and “honor” her heritage when in reality, Dee is the one who is seen to be a disappointment. The line chosen from this short story is important for it shows that we should honor our heritage by putting the items we receive to use. It is ironic to see Dee becoming frustrated with Mama for not understanding her own heritage. Hopefully, Dee will come to the realization that she had been the one all along who failed to recognize her heritage.
In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, Dee, Mama’s oldest daughter who later renames herself as Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, returns back home with her boyfriend Hakim-a-barber to hopefully inherit items that she feels to be important to her heritage. Dee becomes frustrated when Mama refuses to let her inherit the butter churn, the dasher, and the two quilts. The most important line in “Everyday Use” is when Dee becomes furious and tells Mama that she does not understand. Mama becomes puzzled and says, “What don’t I understand?” I want to know. Your heritage, “she said (496). This line is important for it shows the irony in that Dee is truly the one who lacks the understanding of her own heritage.
The butter churn
and dasher are items that present the irony in Dee’s understanding of her heritage. Having been the only one educated in her family, Dee feels superior to everyone in her family. She feels that she has so much knowledge that no one can prove her wrong, but when it comes to her own heritage, she lacks greatly in it. Dee sees the butter churn and dasher as items that are important to her heritage, but fails to understand their use. What she hopes to do after inheriting these items is to put them up for show. Dee tells Mama that she plans to use the butter churn for a “centerpiece for the alcove table” (495) and “think of something artistic to do with the dasher” (495). She sees the butter churn and the dasher to be materialistic; however, Mama sees them to be of practical use. Mama only kept the item because she found use in them. If it were not useful, it would only make sense to throw it away. The key point that Dee fails to understand is that these items were passed down from generation to generation to be used in a practical way rather than aesthetic way. The items gained their value and appreciation through its usage; not its aesthetic presentation.
Another item that presents the irony of Dee’s understanding of her heritage is the two quilts she wishes to inherit from Mama. These were the main items that Dee want to take back home. She wants these quilts for the same reason she has with the butter churn and dasher, the aesthetic presentation. Dee believes that the quilts hold historical and cultural value for they were stitched by hand and for the material that was used, but other than that, she found no use in the quilts except for hanging them on her wall. When Mama refuses to give Dee the quilts, she becomes frustrated because she believes that Mama cannot appreciate these quilts, but she is wrong. The point Dee fails to recognize is the usage of these quilts. Mama kept these quilts because they kept her warm and reminded her of the people that the quilt represented, but Dee is only interested in them because they can add décor to her house. Dee leaves Mama’s house in disappointment for she believes her mother fails to recognize and “honor” her heritage when in reality, Dee is the one who is seen to be a disappointment. The line chosen from this short story is important for it shows that we should honor our heritage by putting the items we receive to use. It is ironic to see Dee becoming frustrated with Mama for not understanding her own heritage. Hopefully, Dee will come to the realization that she had been the one all along who failed to recognize her heritage.