Everyday Use is a short story written by African American author and poet Alice Walker. The plot tells about the lives of a single mother and her two daughters, Dee (Wangero) and Maggie. It focuses on the struggles and conflicts within the African American community and the path to reclaiming their ancestral culture. The latter is further illustrated through Wangero visiting her mother with her partner and addressing the topic in the conversation.
Mama assesses her and her daughters’ past, surprised by the amount of time that has passed since then. The woman and her younger daughter, Maggie, wait for their family member to visit them. Soon, she is startled by the changes in Wangero’s personality and opinions. The eldest daughter and her partner, Asalamalakim, are now focused on reclaiming their ancestral culture, advising Mama to do the same.
The reason why I consider Everyday Use to be the best short story is because it encourages its readers to improve themselves as people. Through Dee and Asalamalakim, it provides a better understanding of the role cultural heritage plays in people’s lives. The story also strongly emphasizes the importance of family values. This perspective is something Nazrullah Mambol supports while understanding Wangero’s new point of view (“Her mother and sister… understand the significance of family.”).
In her narration, Mama’s imaginary scenario, where she is invited to a show with her daughters, is used to provide a brief depiction of their connection. The imagery used in the story emphasizes the role a good relationship between her, Dee and Maggie plays in her life (“You’ve no doubt seen those shows where the child who has “made it” is confronted, as a surprise, by her own mother and father,” “the child wraps them in her arms”). The woman expects to be a good parent to her children. This is something the main character sees as a valuable goal.
The introduction of the characters starts with similes to provide the readers with a more vivid idea of what the people in the story are like visually and characteristically. Mama sees herself as a very tough person who can easily fend for herself (“I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as man,” “man-working hands”). However, one of her daughters, Maggie, is instantly depicted as her polar opposite (“Have you ever seen a lame animal? Perhaps, a dog run over by some careless person…That is the way my Maggie walks”). Dee is depicted as far more harsh and assertive than her sister.
With hyperboles, the narrator emphasizes her psychological and physical strength. That way, she explains her capability to overcome any difficulties in life (“I can work outside all day,” “I can eat pork liver cooked over the open fire minutes after it comes steaming from the hog”). However, Mama acknowledges that this kind of personality was not accepted by society at that time. This does not concern her much, for her daughters’ well-being is more valuable. It is clear that this woman would do anything to ensure that her daughters are happy and loved.
Works Cited
Mambrol, Nasrullah. “Analysis of Alice Walker’s Everyday Use”, 24 May, 2021. Literary Theory and Criticism.
Walker, Alice. Everyday Use. Rutgers University Press, 1994.
Published in 1973, ‘Everyday Use’ is a repeatedly anthologized short story which is studied and appreciated on a wide scale. This short story is written by Alice Walker, which got published in her short story collection – ‘In Love and Trouble.’ The story revolves around three core characters and their perspective on family heritage. This essay will discuss in brief this short story and its plot, and the different perspectives behind it. Furthermore, a substitute title is suggested, which is in relevance to the theme of the short story.
‘Everyday Use’ is a story of a small African family which lived in the south of the country. The family includes a mother, Mrs. Johnson, and her two daughters, Maggie and Dee. The story is told by the mother. According to her, Maggie was the youngest, dull, and not attractive at all. She was a simple and traditional girl who has never left home. On the contrary, Dee, who was the eldest daughter, was educated, deep, and worldly wise. She lived far from her hometown in a college to pursue a good education.
The title suggested for this short story is given in relevance to its characters and their different perspectives. As every character of the story concludes with diverse endings, and therefore, it is very significant to study their perspectives one by one. Hence, the title ‘the difference in perception’ is the most suitable in my viewpoint.
To understand the story from a different perspective, it is very vital to understand the plot of ‘everyday use.’ This essay will discuss and analyze the plot of ‘Everyday Use’ in a detailed manner. It will make it easy to understand the characters and their perspectives. The story ‘Everyday Use’ tells us the importance of rich family inheritance and lessons which are learned through them.
To decide upon whom the valuables of the family history are transferred and how they become an issue of conflict between families are also considered in this report. In this story, the two hand-stitched quilts become the bone of conflict between the two sisters.
Those two quilts were hand stitched with numerous interesting clothes which were worn by the family members of the African tribe. Just like the quilt, every individual has a different perspective on how they see the world, and thus their life is a mixture of numerous events and circumstances which tells them how to respond to their surroundings – the world.
Just like this, ‘Everyday Use’ is a story of two contrary / conflicting worlds. Recounted by Mama (Mrs. Johnson), the story tells us about two diverse worlds which were personified in her two daughters.
How two girls from the same rich inherited family and same community can be so different in their personalities? However, no traits of wealthy family background were witnessed in the story or by their get-ups. The plot and the story simply explain that diversity was noticed in Dee’s nature, which gave rise to the conflict.
Dee was different in nature and attitude. Despite living in rural life, she never was a part of it and always considered herself as a part of the urban world. This was because of the education she was getting; her physical appearance compared to her sister, who got burnt, did not have the proper shape, and it was dull and unattractive. The entire story is told in a framework which portrays the returning of Dee home for the first time after her departure for college.
On her arrival, Maggie was not comfortable and got nervous. Since Dee was better in appearance and personality than Maggie, she had some sort of complex and could not face her sister as she does not like her. On the arrival of her sister- Dee, she was not coming in the courtyard to her mother to greet and welcome her sister. Her mother called her and gripped her hand tightly so that she may not run away upon meeting her sister. This scenario can be easily understood from a few lines from the story, which says:
‘How do I look, Mama?’ Maggie says, showing just enough of her thin body enveloped in a pink skirt and red blouse for me to know she’s there, almost hidden by the door.
When Dee returns from college, she arrives with her boyfriend. Her mother was not happy with it and her appearance. She was astonished when she got to know that she changed her name as well. She had come to collect the valuables from the house so that she can add them to her décor. Her mother was not happy with this fact and was surprised to see that she did not value the inheritance.
Moreover, she insisted on taking the two hand stitched antique quilts with her, which her mother and grandmother made. Her mother refused to give them to her as she had promised Maggie that they are hers. This became an issue of conflict between the two sisters and the mother. In anger, Maggie decided to give those quilts to her, but in the end, the mother took them back and asked Dee to take other quilts.
According to the perspective of Mama, Dee was going in the wrong direction, and she was on her own, having her style, which was very different from the family. This can be understood as Mama tells in the story that:
“At sixteen she [Dee] had a style of her own; and knew what style was.” She had proper features and physically attractive.”
According to Maggie, she was not like Dee and was physically unattractive as she got burnt when their house caught fire decade back. She had scars on her body, and that was the reason she was low on confidence. She never went out of the house. Maybe somewhere in her heart, she envied Dee, or maybe she was in a complex with her sister. She never liked her nor her actions or her presence as it made her uncomfortable.
According to Dee, the life her mother and sister were living was very old and not that what she wanted. This was why she had changed her name to ‘Wangero’ as her name was too old.
“Well,” I say. “Dee.”
“No, Mama,” she says. “Not ‘Dee,’ Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo!”
“What happened to ‘Dee’?” I wanted to know.
“She’s dead,” Wangero said. “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.”
Anyone who puts himself/herself on Dee’s position may act in the same way she did. Someone who experiences life in an urban society may act that way, but should not forget their family inheritance and should respect them. After that evening, Dee went back to her college and mother, and Maggie kept sitting in the courtyard till late at night, and that is how this short story ends.
Everyday Use by Alice Walker is a story about the concept of heritage and different perspectives individuals may have about it. In particular, Everyday Use revolves around the dynamics of one family whose members experience a powerful cultural gap that sets the elder daughter, Dee, apart from her mother and sister Maggie. While both perspectives can be seen as valuable is certain ways, the author makes a clear emphasis on the view of heritage as a direct relation with family and respect for its members and history.
Mother of the Story and Her Reliability
The mother character in Everyday Use is described in detail. She is “a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands”; she is very hard working, physically strong and enduring, and capable of performing harsh manual labor. She has two daughters both of whom she loves, but feels close with only one of them. Also, she seems very aware strengths and weaknesses of both young girls. As a result, she can be considered a reliable narrator as she describes both of her daughters honestly and without skipping over any of the unpleasant bit of their backgrounds such as the fire that Dee set as a child because she hated the house in which they lived and how this fire crippled Maggie for the rest of her life.
Assumptions about Daughters and Dee’s Perspective
Reflecting on her daughters, the mother describes Dee as determined, persistent, brave, educated knowledgeable about style, wanting “nice things”, and having trouble making friends or building relationships (Walker 381). As for Maggie, the mother compares her to “a dog run over by some careless person” and mentions that she walks like a lame animal – “chin on chest, eyes of ground, feet in shuffle” Walker 380). Maggie was not as bright as her sister, had little education, and was ashamed of her burn marks and scars she had from the fire set my Dee.
However, from the perspective of Dee, the story would sound differently. Dee would not describe herself as careless and selfish; instead, she would introduce herself as the only smart and educated person in the family, who has tried to educate her simple-minded relatives but never succeeded and so had to move away and continue her growth.
Personal Development Ideas and Mama’s Decision
The mother’s idea of self-development was different from Dee’s. She believed that Dee forced the knowledge on her family members that they “didn’t necessarily need to know” (Walker 381). She saw that the person into whom Dee had turned –Wangero – was a shallow admirer of history and African-American background who valued things such as the house, hand-made bench, churn, and quilts over people to whom they belonged and who had worked hard to craft these objects. The most obvious indicator of her ignorance towards her own family was the change of name as she wanted to be closer to the romanticized African culture rather than her living mother and sister. Seeing that Maggie was more appreciative of her family, its work, people, and goods they had produced, she decided to give to Maggie the hand-made quilts Wangero wanted to use as decorations at home. Thinking critically about the mother’s decision, it is possible to notice that she respected her roots, remembered her forefathers, and cherished the memories about them. The mother saw that Maggie had the same feelings and made her the rightful owner of her family’s heritage.
Walker’s Idea of Heritage, Purpose and Theme of the Story
Walker’s idea of heritage matches that of the mother. The purpose of her story is to demonstrate how differently people can perceive the connection with their background and respect for history. The major theme depicted in Everyday Use is love for one’s family that manifests through the presentation of memories about family members supported by the things they had crafter and not the other way around.
Work Cited
Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.” Reading Literature and Writing Argument. 6th ed., edited by Missy James, Alan P. Merickel, Greg Lloyd, and Jenny Perkins, Pearson, 2016, pp. 379-386.
The atmosphere in Everyday Use is generally depressed and tense. From the beginning of the narrative, a sense of antipathy is observed between the main character and Maggie. The tension is mainly explained by the difference in social status and position of the two women. The narrator expresses the difficulties in her life and contrasts them with the flourishing life of another character. At this point, the narrator shows intense envy and hate toward a woman with a better position and physical appearance. The mutual dislike is also supported by racial issues, social status, wealth, and love drama. The narrator is a woman of color with limited rights who has wants Maggie to get married and leave home. The gloominess of the fiction is mainly highlighted by hardships and the dramatic visions of the narrator.
The most influential and amusing part of the fiction was the narrator’s image critiques regarding physical appearance. In the description of her image, the sense of total dissatisfaction and ignorance could be observed. The lines “In real life, I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands” prove her pretension about her appearance (Walker et al., 2020). Another shocking thing is a possible love crush and sympathy of the narrator toward “white man”. In the fiction, the narrator dream about acceptance and a positive attitude from Johny Carson, who is described as a “gray, sporty man” (Walker et al., 2020). Moreover, her fantasies over Johny’s “quick tongue” support the previous claim (Walker et al., 2020). Nevertheless, we can notice her insecurities regarding her attractiveness in the lines “Who can even imagine me looking a strange white man in the eye?”(Walker et al., 2020). These parts add dramatic vision to the whole picture.
Reference
Walker, A., Stephenson, W., Cockburn, A., & Tobar, H. (2020). [Fiction] Everyday use, BY Alice Walker. Harper’s Magazine. Web.
In “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker presents the topic of one’s ancestors and traditional family and whether one should forget them when leaving home. To be more exact, the author focuses on the problem from the African-American people’s side. Walker (2020) discusses whether people after embracing African heritage can forget their African-American ancestors through implementing into her story three characters: Mrs. Johnson, Maggie, and Dicie.
To begin with, Walker (2020) presents three women from different perspectives, not with identical values or speech forms. For instance, the girls’ mother is more friendly, and she addresses the reader as you, “Have you ever seen a lame animal?” (Walker, 2020, para. 9). Furthermore, she seems honest and describes everything in vivid detail, sometimes in unnecessarily large amounts, “I never had an education myself. After second grade, the school was closed down” (Walker, 2020, para. 13). Overall, Maggie seems indeed similar to her mother, and they do share numerous identical features; however, Dicie is obviously more distant from her family and is similar to them neither in a language, nor in values.
Furthermore, the family’s values vary since Dicie is more focused on her career and prosperous future. To be more exact, she left her home to seek a better life with more comfortable conditions. In contrast, Maggie and her mother find their happiness in the family and respect their ancestors (Walker, 2020). In addition, Dicie is looking to change her name to forget about her African-American heritage. At the same time, Mrs. Johnson believes that this part of her daughter’s identity is more crucial than she realizes.
To sum up, Alice Walker proves that denying one’s heritage is wrong no matter how offensive it might be to one’s beliefs and ideas. Therefore, she attempts to contrast both points of view by creating three characters with entirely different values and even speech forms. Overall, the author explains a crucial topic to the reader by focusing not just on African-American people, but everyone in general.
Reference
Walker, A. (2020). Everyday use. Harper’s Magazine. Web.
Walker’s Everyday Use and Welty’s Worn Path are the stories about the life of two women that experience different events. Both women were drawn in the routine of the daily life and who got used to the grey existence. Both stories express the symbolic streams in revealing the topics of femininity and feminine heroism. Both women, Mrs. Johnson and Phoenix Jackson, are both Afro-Americans. In the first story, the author highlights the description of house as the symbol of the lost generation of women who have been stayed apart from the education so the insight of it was the sign of tradition and the past. In the second story, the symbol of the past and something that had long gone is the woman’s path that implies the historical events of the past the value of life.
Main body
The matter of aging
Both characters are the elderly women that experienced a difficult life and now they feel sorry for the thing they did not do being younger. Hence, Mrs. Johnson, describes herself as “big-boned with rough, man-working hands” (Walker, 24). This short description showed us the reality of her life that is calmly accepted by the heroine. Though she feels the distinction between the real life and the imaginary one, “[she] dream a dream in which Dee and I are suddenly brought together on a TV program of this sort…Then we are on the stage and Dee is embracing me with tears in her eyes” (Walker 25). Mrs. Johnson realizes the impossibility to change the reality and she wants to do that in order to satisfy the wishes of her elder Dee. Regarding that Dee is the symbol of future whereas the house they live in is outcome of past where African American live in fear and pressure. In Worn Path, the main character with a symbolic name is also an elderly woman that decides to start the journey through the path that is rather familiar to her to bring some medicine for her little grandson. Here, the road she used to travel could be identified with her life ‘worn’ already and the hardships that she must undergo while passing this trodden path one more time. During her trip, she expresses no dignity but obedience as knowing that she is doomed to go it through until the end of life. Her name dictates the life concept that condemns her to the eternal sacrifice. However, while overcoming the hills, she says “I wasn’t as old as I thought” (Welty 131).
The presentation and ethnical and cultural motives
Both characters represent the ethnic customs and traditions thus living in the past where quilts made by Maggie are designed for the everyday use but the ‘modern world’ those quilts are attributes of the ethnicity and nationality. Dee feels resentment toward the way Maggie and her mother use those things since she is assured that the quilts must be treated as the historical value. Phoenix Jackson, the second heroine is the embodiment of all the suffering Afro-American people underwent. She represents the constant racial confrontation between the black and the white people. The path is invaded with a white man, a hunter that “knows old colored people” (Welty 134). Since the path is the embodiment of her past life of self-sacrifice and constant fear, Phoenix could be compared with Jesus Christ that is her prototype. Hence, the mission she carries out is a kind of religious mission so the path is the road to heaven full of thorns.
Historical symbolism
Worn Path is also a sing of the pressure over the black people where the old woman suffers from the obstacles she encounters while traveling to the Natchez. Considering this, the writer attaches many appropriate epithets to emphasize the hardships the women faces: “At length she got down and turned off the faucet and made her slow way on the darkening path to the house” (Welty 334). Path is kind of historical route that is depicted as difficult and challenging. In Everyday Use, the house also embodies the suffering as the main heroine does. The description of the house resembles the fate of the woman and the obstacles she overcomes in her life: “There are no real windows, just some holes cut in the sides, like the potholes in a ship, but not round and not square, with rawhide holding the shutters up ton the outside” (Walker 27). It is also the historical evidence of the fear and the tortures undergone by the African American people. This is the bright evidence of the racial discrimination.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both stories are overwhelmed with the cultural, historic, and philosophic symbols that are accentuated by the details of the stories. They are depicted as the live personages that could tell the actual idea of narrations. Hence, in Walker’s Everyday Use and Welty’s Worn Path Mrs. Johnson’s house and Phoenix’s path only contributed to the character depiction and the atmosphere of the stories. In addition, both objects are also the historical symbols of the past events that refer to the period of racial discrimination.
Works Cited
Walker, Alice & Christian, Barbara. Everyday Use. US: Rutgers University Press, 1994.
Cahill, Susan, Women & fiction: short stories by and about women Signet Classics. Signet Classics, 2002.
These two short tales, Sonny Blues by James Baldwin and Everyday Use by Alice Walker, demonstrate the complexity of human strife while also depicting the bonds between siblings. They show how siblings can feel love and hate for one another, a shared experience among sibling relationships. Relationships between siblings and educational practices are shaped by the identities of both sets of parents in addition to cultural norms.
Sonny Blues’ plot concentrates on Sonny, a young man who grew accustomed to his friends and society’s drug use, in contrast to his brother, who was a teacher with his own family. The narrative’s main focus was on the family’s relationships, trials, and the never-ending cycle of pain. The story was narrated from the perspective of Sonny’s wealthy brother, who wished Sonny the best. The storyteller is Sonny’s brother, and the setting occurred in a rural region of Harlem, New York, in the 1950s (Baldwin & Kirby, 1957). The expressiveness of the voice was inspired by blues music. The narrator of the narrative, who believed it was his responsibility to care for his younger brother, found himself in a situation where his sibling used music to bring them closer together. The irony was that the narrator believed it was his responsibility to care for his younger sibling. The author wrote with warmth and affection, according to the reader.
The plot progression of Everyday Use uses traditional narrative devices such as flashbacks, foreshadowing, and escalating tension. The story revolved around a central subject centered on resistance, tradition, and heritage. The mother was the story’s narrator, which was told from the first-person point of view. The story took place in a rural part of Georgia in the early 1970s, when African Americans had difficulty finding their cultural identities (Walker, 1973). The voice was told forcefully to transmit their opinions and that they would not be hushed. The irony of the situation was that even though Dee had a limited understanding of what it means to have heritage, she still believed that her family could not fully appreciate the breadth of their past. The narrative is said to have a tone that is reflective yet anxious at the same time.
References
Baldwin, J., & Kirby, G. (1957). Sonny’s blues (pp. 175-206). Klett.
Walker, A. (1973). Everyday use. Rutgers University Press.
Denial is an aspect of not complying with or failure to satisfy a request, which is portrayed well by the characters of Everyday Use and Jilting of Granny Weatherall. The former is about heritage where a black family fails to accept their twin state as African-Americans and end up choosing either African or American heritage. Jilting of Granny Weatherall on the other hand portrays denial but in this case is of self.
The old woman fails to accept her jilting by her lover to her death even though she prides in having been married and fend for her family all alone after facing the death of her husband at a tender age.
She happens not to be afraid of anything and she is determined to take down anything that comes her way to threaten her existence. Her dressing which according to Hoel “is of West African origin” (4) and speech betrayed her American heritage hence showing her superficial nature.
For Dee quilts, which were a symbol of her family heritage, were for class and admiration. She pegged no ancestral existence to them. She denounced her American name to Wangero Leewanika Kamenjo though she still held her American consumer culture dear to her.
Walker argues that she wants to do all that the whites did with the cunning equipment of the past (175). This is to maintain that heritage as an unenthusiastic manifestation to her classiness. Dee’s boyfriend on the other hand, has a Black Muslim background by his language. Therefore, “He is not interested in farming and ranching” (Walker 411).
Dee defies both the American and African heritage. She has no clue of how far her name that was her aunt’s goes down in the family. She too fails to understand the meaning of the churns as far as history is concerned. She goes further to not interacting with her blood kid sister because she is more American in speech and depicting denial of her American heritage.
On the same note, Maggie feels neglected and she is ashamed of her nature. Her mother describes her as a maimed and useless animal perhaps a dog ran over by a car. She always lives and stays in the corners not to be seen and even her speaking is faint.
She does not feel like she can be like her sister, accept her state and move on. Later on when Mama sees the scars in the hand s of Maggie, she realizes that she should be proud of her heritage meaning she had denied the same all her years. She understands that there is no need to sacrifice either of her heritages for that was who she was together with her daughters.
The Jilting of Granny Weatherall as the name suggests contains a granny weathers all that life ever presented. Her boyfriend/husband jilted her. Granny has had pneumonia for many years and this made her have no faith in doctors. She asks Doctor Harry where he was when she pulled through milk-leg and pneumonia many years ago (WriteWork contributors), meaning that she was accustomed to life never meaning the best for her.
She actually feels neglected and seems not to agree that she was actually dying, she refuses to talk to the priest too. She seems to have bitterness with what happened during her wedding and she is careful not to go through the same again. She represses the jilting of George instead of facing life head on.
Granny too happens to be a staunch catholic who contrary to her actions, faith fails her. She felt that even God had jilted her and deceived her when she was left at the altar by her love. She literary becomes immortal in her mind after failing to pass on at her sixties and she does not accept that time was almost up for her as she repeatedly claims that she had a lot to do come the following day.
During her youthful age, she managed to sew clothes, do fences and much more and she thinks that the same would be the case at her age. At some point, she lost the most important thing in her life a child that she always wanted to have. Her obsession in her dreams signifies her failure to accept her death and move on with life. Sometimes she thought of her dead husband John too.
She wanted to see him again and tell her how she fared in some stuff. She lived in a wounded vanity. Additionally, God seems to jilt her making it worse for being in heaven was the only worthwhile thing that kept going. According to Porter, there is nothing crueler than this (588).
Denial is a role played tactfully and skillfully in the two essays. The denial in Alice Walker’s essay is about heritage where the actors have two heritages that they need to hold dear but they end up embracing one depending with their preferences.
On the other hand, Jilting of Granny Weatherall is about denial of self and life experiences as a whole portrayed by Granny. She is in denial yet she is determined by even denying the comfort from Cornelius and the doctor.
Works Cited
Hoel, Helga. Personal Names and Heritage: Alice Walker’s ‘Everyday Use’. Norway: Trondheim Cathedral School, 2000. Print.
Porter, Katherine. The Jilting of Granny Weatherall. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Fort Worth: Harcourt, 2000. Print.
Walker, Alice. Everyday Use. Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. 4th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 1998. Print.
WriteWork Contributors. “The Stages of Death: 5 stages of death”. The jilting of Granny Weatherall by Katherine Porter. 27 April, 2004. Web.
“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, which depicts the situation of a rural American south family, is one of the widely studied and regularly anthologized short stories. The story is set in a family house in a pasture and it is about an African-American mother, “Mama Johnson,” and her two daughters, Maggie and Dee.
Mama, who grew up during the early twentieth century, is the main character in the story since she narrates it. She is portrayed as struggling to embrace the culture of her daughter Dee. Dee got an advanced education in Augusta Georgia before moving to work in an urban set up. Maggie, who is portrayed as the less fortunate one, stayed with her mother while Dee was going to school. The author uses her talent in writing to illustrate the difficulties encountered by African-Americans, particularly those of the females.
Currently, there are marked similarities and differences between families living now and those who lived in the past. Although there may be disparity in setting, several family issues as well as situations are similar. In addition, most families still cherish and hold certain things sacred. An example of these is culture. In this present world, most households are still interested in knowing the background they came from.
This is inclusive to both parents and their children. However, it is important to note that the significance of culture to a family is varied. A number of people take the position that their actions are dictated by their ancestral traits. For instance, a person may perceive that he or she may have inherited a character trait such as being cunning from a past relative. Even though, some other individuals have not developed the interest of knowing their family backgrounds.
The representation of family backgrounds in “Everyday Use” is what makes this literary work unique and worthwhile. As Walker intertwines a story about the African culture and its role in one family’s life, she succeeds in portraying it differently through the eyes of Mama’s daughters.
Both Maggie and Dee (Wangero) have contrasting traits and both hold diverse viewpoints regarding the quilts. Mama serves the purpose of connecting her two daughters. Nevertheless, she is depicted to be closer to Maggie. This is because the two have similar behavioral traits.
Maggie and her mother hold the opinion that ones culture is based on a foundation of inherited objects as well as methods of thinking. On the other hand, Dee views culture as something that is no longer relevant in the modern society since it has been washed away by history.
The most central point is that the culture depicted in the short story is focused on learning and education. More so, the thoughts possessed by the different characters played a pivotal role in shaping the culture they depended on. Therefore, the varied viewpoints concerning African American culture result in the tension evident throughout the short story.
By the use of the technique of contrasting the characters and their opinions in the story, the author succeeds in demonstrating the significance of comprehending our present life in relation to the culture that our own people practiced in the past.
Through calculated descriptions and attitudes, the author illustrates the factors that have a say in the values of an individual’s heritage and culture. Walker shows that they cannot be symbolized through the possession of objects or mere appearances. She emphasizes that the lifestyle and attitudes of an individual are the ones capable of symbolizing them.
In the short story, the author personifies the various aspects of culture and heritage. She achieves this in portraying the contrast between Dee and her mother. Mrs. Johnson and Maggie can be said to represent the relationship between generations and culture that passed between them since their actions are based on traditions and what they learnt from their past ancestors.
The author also represents Maggie as a type of culture to her mother herself, and the traditions were passed to her through teaching. As Dee’s mother makes it clear to her, Maggie is conversant with her heritage, “She can always make some more; Maggie knows how to quilt” (Missy and Merickel, 454).
However, it is interesting that Dee does not take the initiative to know whether her sister is able to make quilt. Maggie demonstrates the trait of vulnerability. This makes her to be extremely uncomfortable through her inward and outward appearance. Maggie’s actions demonstrate how she is self-conscious. As Mama puts it, “She will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs” (Missy and Merickel, 449). Most of the time, Maggie liked to keep to herself and follow instructions.
In the story, both Mama and Maggie are portrayed to be living in a run-down home and both of them were not educated in schools. They claim to have received teaching by means of another tradition assisted by their ancestors. The learning they received from their surroundings is out of reach of the present day society. Although Mrs. Johnson had few intentions of pursuing further education just like her daughter, Dee, she only managed to reach second grade (Missy and Merickel, 451).
Nonetheless, she seems to be contented with her own education, which she had acquired from the ancestors. Maggie just adhered to what she was told, chose to stay where she was born, and envied his sister’s outward appearance. By living with her mother, she learnt the skills of life by means of the experiences of her ancestors. Her mother also taught her some traditions.
Culture through the traits of Dee is depicted in a different way from her mother and sister. Dee represents culture in the materialistic and complex context, which ought to be observed and looked upon, but not experienced. The way Dee handles herself is enough to shed more light on her perception about culture and heritage. As the story starts, the narrator takes time to tell the reader how the two sisters were different from one another.
Dee is described as “lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure” (Missy and Merickel, 450). Mama says that she is self-assured and beautiful. These attributes differentiates her from Maggie and Mrs. Johnson who were scared and rough respectively. Dee was known to portray a different character, “She wanted nice things. At sixteen she had a style of her own: and knew what style was” (Missy and Merickel, 450-451).
She pursued further education away from her homeland. This depicts her as wanting to reach to the society in order to be famous. Mama was aware of the determination of her daughter, “She was determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts. Her eyelids would not flicker for minutes at a time” (Missy and Merickel, 450-451).
During the visit, which stood for her misconception on heritage and culture, Dee endeavored to reconnect with her traditional roots (Cowart, 180). The visit took place during the period of emerging black awareness and empowerment. Since it had taken years before coming home, she embraced the new lingo and style that was demonstrated by the modernized black women then.
She accompanied herself with a partner called by an Islamic name, Asalamalakim. Moreover, she now prefers to be called Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. Here, the reader gets a sense of the disappointing behavior of Dede to her close relations. One anticipates that she will come back to herself before the culmination of the short story in order to realize her mistake.
To welcome her daughter home, Mama has prepared various delicacies. Among the various foods prepared, Dee’s partner did not prefer to consume collards and regarded pork as not clean. However, the others consumed everything. After sometime, Dee started to trouble her mother with various questions pertaining to the household furnishings, their value, as well as their age. The household cherished pictures that were taken in front of the home.
The churn top, which was constructed by Dee’s late uncle, served a historical purpose in the household. Dee considers these items as part of her culture. However, she did not think of them in that perspective while she was growing up. Her perception then was meant to illustrate how she is rooted in her culture.
It was to give an indication to her family members as well as her to her so-called friends, “I can use the churn top as a centerpiece for the alcove table, and I’ll think of something artistic to do with the dasher” (Missy and Merickel, 453). Mrs. Johnson gave permission for her daughter to take these items because she did not consider them as valuable as the quilts.
The peak of the story comes when Dee demands the quilts from her mother. She preferred the old handmaid quilts to the ones stitched by machine. Since the quilts were promised to Maggie when she will eventually marry John Thomas, her mother tried to persuade her to go for the newer ones.
After these arguments, Dee becomes angry and childish, and cries out that her sister will not be able to appreciate the old quilts. She says that Maggie would probably be “backward enough to put them to everyday use!” (Missy and Merickel, 454).For this reason, the title of the story reads “Everyday Use.” By this statement, Walker presents her unique argument whether or not culture ought to be safeguarded and displayed or incorporated into everyday life. A reader can assume that the phrase “Everyday life” relates only to the argument about the quilt.
However, deeper reading within the short story reveals that it concerns people’s culture and heritage and how they make the decision to preserve it or not. In the story, the author developed a critique of postmodern ideals. She also illustrates the detachable nature of symbols. In proposing to hang the quilts, Wangero would be taking them away from their “everyday” use. Therefore, their embedded contextual meaning would be lost.
Mrs. Johnson stood by her decision. Thereafter, Dee and her supposed boyfriend or husband leaves the home. This illustrates another central theme in the story: standing up for the right thing no matter the consequences. This should not be just for oneself, but for others also.
This is demonstrated by the way Mama stood by her decision not to let Wangero go with the handmaid quilts. Mrs. Johnson understood how much Maggie valued the quilts. She also understood that Wangero simply wanted the family belongings so as to keep up with the new African fashion.
Moreover, Dee just wanted to be popular. That is why she even changed her name, which was not the case when she was growing up. As the two visitors leave, Dee laments that Mrs. Johnson does not understand her own heritage. Dee also proposes to her sister to strive to make something out of herself. Eventually, Mama and Maggie, relieved, gaze at the car as it leaves. They then spend time together dipping snuff and they become conscious of the fact that they are the ones enjoying their lives as well as their cherished heritage.
The misunderstanding that is evident between Dee and Maggie concerning the right ownership of the quilts and their use is essential to the theme of the story. By this, the author is “arguing that the responsibility for defining African-American heritage should not be left to the Black Power movement (White, para.16). Walker effectively argues that the Black Americans ought to take responsibility of their whole heritage, even the parts that seem to be hurting.
Mrs. Johnson symbolizes most of the African-Americans who did not know how to match their past with the civil rights movements that took place in the 1960s (Hoel, para.2). During that time, most Blacks were not at ease with the Black Power movement solution. The technique that the author uses to challenge the African-Americans to respect their heritage is what helps to define this piece of work as a literature of importance.
“Everyday Use” is an exact symbolization of the way of life of most Black Americans in the modern society. Among them, there are those who despise their history and pay less attention to their unprivileged peers. More so, they attempt to be popular and look for wealth in the capitalist world, which entails assertiveness and opportunism.
On the other hand, the rural south is slow and they esteem the importance of the family and culture. The conservative rural folks find it difficult to embrace the extremes of urbanism. At the same time, however, those who abandoned the traditional black culture are still trying to hold on it. They achieve this by having cultural artifacts, antiques, as well as souvenirs.
Walker uniquely presents this scenario in the short story, which is about African-American identity crisis and the place of their culture and values in the modern society.
Through the story, the author illustrates that it is impossible to change ones culture. This is because an individual’s culture and heritage are passed on from one generation to the next. It cannot be acquired or, worse still, picked up all of a sudden. Therefore, Walker’s point is clear: An individual who holds real heritage and culture is obliged to apply it each day of his or her life on earth.
Works Cited
Cowart, David.”Heritage and Declaration in Walker’s ‘Everyday Use.’” Studies in Short Fiction 33 (1996): 171-84. Print.
Hoel, Helga. “Personal names and heritage: Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use.”
The theme of education is not central yet tightly woven into both “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker and “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin. Exploring this theme in two short stories revealed that Baldwin made a more significant focus on education comparable to Walker. Nonetheless, both stories contain similar notions, topics, and perceptions of education. Both works highlight and discuss the impact of education’s presence or absence on the characters’ lives.
These short stories tell about siblings: Walker’s work narrates about two sisters while Baldwin describes the life of two brothers. In both stories, one of the siblings graduated from high school while another lacked education. Thereby, it seems that stories aim to compare the lives and intelligence of siblings. Initially, in both stories, the authors emphasize the success linked to education and the necessity of school attendance. Sonny’s brother claims that Sonny is “going to be sorry later” if he does not finish school (Baldwin 34). Sonny’s brother meant that education was the only way to prosper and forget the disadvantaged past; that is why finishing school was a condition that the narrator has set for Sonny (Baldwin 34). On the contrary, Mama, the narrator of “Everyday Use”, mentioned “a lot of knowledge we didn’t necessarily need to know,” referring to her daughter’s Dee education (Walker 50). She does not exaggerate the importance of education because she was not educated but had a lot of valuable knowledge and skills.
Interestingly, in both stories, uneducated siblings appear wiser and more aware of specific topics and issues. Back in time, education might create a delusion about one’s intelligence, overstating the significance of existing knowledge and competencies. Education was perceived as a privilege in the stories, and those who could attend high school and graduate seemed to be given the right to condemn less fortunate people by default. Stories of Walker and Baldwin revealed the truth: particular skills, worldly knowledge, daily human experiences, and understandings of life frequently cannot be achieved in high school.
Works Cited
Baldwin, James. “Sonny’s Blues.” The Jazz Fiction Anthology, edited by Sascha Feinstein and David Rife, Indiana University Press, 2009, pp. 17-48.
Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.” In Love & Trouble: Stories of Black Women, Harvest Books, 1974, pp. 47-59.