Alice Walkers Everyday Use Essay - 1140 Words

Everyday Use In Alice Walkers story Everyday Use she uses the mother to narrate the story. Through humorous comments, the mother paints a picture of what she is thinking, and allows the audience to see her as she is, and not as the world and those around her perceive her to be. Specifically the mother describes the characters appearance, and actions, as well as offers analogies, such as mothers on T.V. To support her view of reality, or how things really were, in her opinion. As the story progressed, she reveals cultural differences between Mama, Maggie and Dee. Walker also points out the importance of respecting your immediate heritage such as parents, and other family, and truly knowing and internalizing the real meaning of racial†¦show more content†¦She is protective, and loving to Maggie. Mama realizes that Dee who is lighter skinned, and with other physical attributes admired by others will fare better in life, although she acknowledges some of Dees flaws to herself. She also recognizes that Dee is better able to care for herself. Second, there were some cultural differences, Maggie and Mama lived in a house located in a pasture with animals, and you could tell through Mamas description of Dee that she was more modernized probably a city Girl. When Dee/Wangero came to visit she wore a bright dress with loud colors, bangles and gold earrings. Mama said Dees dress had so many yellows and oranges it was enough to throw back the sun (109). Maggie wore a pink skirt and red blouse that enveloped her body (107). Dee was an educated woman having graduated from High School. Mama on the other hand never made it past the second grade because the school she attended was closed down in 1927. Mama said that, Colored asked fewer questions than they do now referring to why the school closed (109). Circumstances such as age, education, and living arrangements dictated their values. Mama was proud of her skills on the farm. She knew her heritage, even if she couldnt read or write, and was proud of it. She could tell you the why and the who. Maggie in her self-defacing way also displayed real attachment to her heritage. Dee on the other hand appeared to be moreShow MoreRelatedEssay on Alice Walkers Everyday Use1144 Words   |  5 Pagesand 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 aboutRead MoreCharacter Uses In Alice Walkers Everyday Use1095 Words   |  5 Pages The short story â€Å" Everyday Use† by Alice Walker begins with the narrator, Mama, and her daughter, Maggie, sitting in the yard that they both prepared and cleaned the day before. They were waiting for Dee, the oldest daughter, that is returning from college in Augusta after seven years of education. Maggie is going to be nervous for as long as Dee stays because of the scars and burns marks she got from the fire in their previous house. Maggie thinks that Dee has a much easier life than herRead MoreEssay on Alice Walkers Everyday Use1658 Words   |  7 PagesAlice Walkers Everyday Use In the short story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker, the author portrays opposing ideas about one’s heritage. 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When Dee (Wangero) comes home to visit Mrs. Johnson and Maggie, right away the readers see the differences in the family by how they talk, act, and dress. Dee has changed her name to an African name and is collecting the objects and materials of her past. Dee thinks that since she is in college she knows mores then theRead MoreEssay about Alice Walkers Everyday Use1213 Words   |  5 PagesIn the short story, Everyday Use, these two character descriptions fit perfectly in relation to the characters of Dee and Maggie. Dee is the gifted and beautiful child, whereas Maggie seems to have been left behind by the gene pool and luck . In her short story, Everyday Use, Alice Walker utilizes language, the tragedy of the fire burning down Maggies familys house, and her portrayal of Dee to pain an extremely sympathetic portrait of Maggie. Walkers use of language when describingRead More##ymbolic Symbols In Alice Walkers Everyday Use740 Words   |  3 PagesIn Alice Walker’s short story â€Å"Everyday Use† the author uses symbolic objects to represent something larger than what it may seem which becomes a shortcut to the overall theme of the story. Both the daughters and mama each have different views on what the symbolic meaning is. The narrator who is also known as Mama tells the story which has to do with the identity and ancestry. The symbolic item in this story are the hand-stitched quilts, and the story takes off when the daughter, Dee, sees the hand-stitchedRead MoreEssay on A Psychological Analysis of Alice Walkers Everyday Use883 Words   |  4 PagesA Psychological Analysis of Alice Walkers Everyday Use  Ã‚     Ã‚   The human mind is divided into three parts that make up the mind as a whole. These parts are necessary to have a complete mind, just as the members of a family are needed to make up the entire family. The use of components to equal a whole is often exercised in literature. Alice Walkers short story, Everyday Use, contains the idea of family and of the mind, therefore her work can be evaluated through psychological methods. ThroughRead More The Meaning of Heritage in Alice Walkers Everyday Use Essay998 Words   |  4 PagesThe Meaning of Heritage in Alice Walkers Everyday Use  Ã‚      Alice Walkers Everyday Use, is a story about a poor, African-American family and a conflict about the word heritage. In this short story, the word heritage has two meanings. One meaning for the word heritage represents family items, thoughts, and traditions passed down through the years. The other meaning for the word heritage represents the African-American culture. There are three women in this short story, two sisters