Dee's character in Alice Walker's story "Everyday Use" confirms that exposure to education and a new social environment can cause one to become more eccentric. Dee underwent transformations while in college influenced by factors like education, weakening of family ties, African American studies exposure, and sociology. These exposed her to new cultures and ideas that changed her views of her ancestry and encouraged black pride and empowerment. While this brought Dee self-awareness, it also made her more self-absorbed and disconnected from her family roots.

1. Alice Walker-
Everyday Use
Adrian Layne
Amber Connally
Amari Harris
Breanna Davis
Khadija Ismail

2. Claim and Interdisciplinary
Analysis
• Claim: “Dee’s character in the story confirms
that when one comes from an impoverished
and uneducated background, and pushed into a
larger society, one usually ends up becoming
eccentric.”
• Interdisciplinary studies include analysis from
education, culture, sociology, and African
American studies.

3. Education
• A reason for Dee’s behavior is education.
• It allows people the opportunity to transform themselves into
different and radical beings.
• In addition to education, one’s cultural heritage can easily change if
one has weak relationships with their immediate families.
• “There is an important distinction between self-realization and
self-absorption and that the former entails directing one’s interests
outward toward objects rather than inward toward oneself.”
(Morris, 20).
• Dee exhibited both tendencies, but inclined more towards self-
realization. She concentrated her efforts towards acquiring objects
and materials. An example of this is the cherished quilt heirloom
that Dee requests to have, rather than her sister

4. Culture
• One’s cultural heritage can easily change if one has weak
relationships with their immediate families.
• “Further, the higher the importance of family values in a
culture, the weaker was the positive effect of peer
acceptance on adolescents life satisfaction. The results
highlight the universal importance of parental warmth and
support in adolescence and underline the effect of culturally
shared family values on the role of peer acceptance for
adolescent development” (Schwarz and Mayer, 55).
• This study proves that the stronger the relationships are with
one’s family the less chances there will be for one to adopt
new and foreign cultures which could ultimately lead to
eccentricity.

5. Sociology
• An important factor of Dee’s change in college is
sociology. Defined by Cornell University, sociology
is, “the study of social life, social change, and the
social causes and consequences of human
behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of
groups, organizations, and societies, and how
people interact within these contexts.”
• Based upon the background Dee came from, she
was very sheltered and unexposed. Being in a new
environment with new people helped influence her
change of views regarding her ancestry.

6. African American Studies
Black Pride public activists, suchas Malcolm X,
empowered the young people to fight for their rights
andto never allow themselves to feel inferior to the ,
“whiteman.”
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmTA7VTyvfc
Through African American studies, another Black
Empowerment mechanism was their music.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA8tX0PNgss&playnext=1
&list=PL33A2D0E5CD04A0C0&feature=results_main

7. Conclusion
• In conclusion, Dee is a multifaceted character.
The transformations that she underwent while
in college renders her an interesting character.
Factors such a education, culture, African
American studies, and simple sociology
exemplify exactly why she made such a radical
change in her life. Being self aware as a
person, in general, is what influenced her need
to understand her history.

8. Works Cited
Walker, Alice. Everyday Use. 1973. Print
Morris, Eagle. Clinical Social Work Journal. Autonomy &
Relatedness: Self-Realization Versus Self-Absorption.
March 2013. Vol.41.Issue 1.
Beate Schwarz and Boris Mayer. Journal of Early
Adolescence. Does the Importance of Parent and Peer
Relationships for Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction Vary
Across Cultures? Feb 2012. Vol.32.Issue 1.
Youtube.com
Soc.cornell.edu