The document provides an analysis of Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use". It summarizes the plot, which centers around a mother and her two daughters - Dee, who leaves home for college and changes her name, and Maggie, who stays home. When Dee returns for a visit, she asks her mother for some quilts made by her grandmother that were meant for Maggie. The mother senses Dee no longer identifies with her heritage and refuses, showing her preference for Maggie, who appreciates family tradition over material items.

1. Alice Walker's Everyday Use Essay
Alice Walker's "Everyday Use"
In the story "Everyday Use" the narrator is telling a story about her life and two daughters, who are
named Dee and Maggie. The narrator is very strong willed, honest, compassionate and very
concerned with the lives of her two daughters. Her daughter Dee is not content with her lifestyle and
makes it hard on Maggie and the narrator. The narrator is trying to provide for her family the best
way she can. The narrator is alone in raising the two daughters and later sends her daughter Dee to
college. The longer the story goes on the more the narrator shows how intelligent and how much she
loves her two daughters.
Mama who is the narrator is a woman who can do any chore that a man can, because of...show more
content...
Mama is also very observant because when her daughter Dee comes and visits, Dee tells Mama
that she changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. This makes Mama feel that her
daughter is running from her heritage. So when Dee asks for some quilts that have been in the
family for years, Mama tells her, "No, they are for Maggie". This says to me that Mama is very
quick to draw as far as the actions of her daughter. She notices that Dee changed her name and
abandoned her heritage. Mama tells Dee that her name came from her grandmamma. Mama is very
understanding also, because she isn't mad at Dee for changing her name, and just tells her that she
can't have the quilts.
Mama was a very interesting to me in this story, because she is so manly in the story. "I can kill
and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man", she says in the story. Mama is also aware that she is not
the brightest woman, because she says that she didn't go any further then the second grade. I love
how honest she is with herself. Like when she talks about never being able to hold a tune. Most
people would lie to their self and make it sound like they could sing if they wanted to. Mama is
also a dreamer, at times because she refers to things the way that they were. Like when she refers to
her education and the house that they use to have. They had a house before but there was a fire.
Mama also has some humor to her, "Why don't
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2. Essay on Alice Walker's Everyday Use
Heritage is something that people see in various ways. When many people think of heritage they
think of past generation and where their family comes from. Other people place their heritage on
the value of things, such as old quits that are made from something sentimental. In Everyday Use
this is exactly how Maggie thinks of heritage. She wants the quits that were handmade out of her
grandma's dresses because to her that is a sign of her heritage. Alice Walker's story is based on
heritage. The narrator of the story has two daughters who could not be more different. One
daughter, Dee, is beautiful and cares a lot about finding her place in the world, and about fashion.
Maggie on the other hand is very practical. She does not see any reason...show more content...
Dee is the exact opposite because she places so much value on items. From a young age she was
very obsessed with fashion and her appearance to the outside world. When her house burned down
she did not even seemed concerned because she had hated that house. Her mom, however, would
never want a house to burn down because to her it represented hard work and survival. She knew
that her family needed a house to survive and she did not care how big it was, or what it looked
like. Because of the value she placed on being in style when her mom offered her quilts that her
grandma had made she did not want them because they were out of fashion. Ironically a few
years later she wanted that same quilt because to her it seemed to represent her heritage that she
tries so hard to get away from. "Identity was partly heritage, partly upbringing, but mostly the
choices you make in life. ~ Bran" (Briggs) The choices that people make in their lives are what
really affects the way that they see their heritage. "We do not have to be ashamed of what we are.
As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds. These backgrounds may not be particularly
enlightened or peaceful or intelligent. Nevertheless, we have soil good enough to cultivate; we can
plant anything in it." (Trungpa) Dee was ashamed of her background in this story, but she would
never admit it. She tried so hard to get away from the life that she grew up with that she no longer
identified her mom and sister with her
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