A Comparison Of Updike's Separating And Alice Walker

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John Hoyer Updike and Alice Walker are world renowned writers that have inspired and educated readers. Both authors received awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the National Book Award for Fiction, and the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts. They each have wonderful stories including “Separating” and “Every Day Use”. “Separating” was written by Updike, and “Every Day Use” was written by Alice Walker. These authors have both reached exceptional literary standards and have been spectacularly awarded, and these stories have been part of their achievements. In Updike’s “Separating” the main character, Richard, is forced to face the consequences of a life changing decision. As the man of the house Richard is constantly doing …show more content…

Johnson is waiting in her front yard for her daughter Dee who is coming to visit her. She is a very large woman that is strong as a man, and has always done hard labor. Her daughter Dee on the other hand is very pretty, dainty, and lady like. Then Maggie, her other daughter, gets her attention and asks her how she looks, and on command comes hobbling into the yard to her mother. Maggie was severely burned during the fire that burned their house years ago and is still scared, hobbles, and is extremely skittish. When Dee finally arrives she steps out of the car with a stocky man and takes photos of her and Maggie in front of their house. Dee informs her mother that her name is no longer Dee but Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo.. They eventually sit to eat but the man was unwilling to eat the food, however Wangero devours it, and then she began taking things like the churn top and the dasher. Eventually she started digging through the trunk and asked to take some old quilts, however it was obvious they were already hers. However, they were already promised to Maggie and Ms. Johnson realized that she could not give them to Wangero and that they had to go to Maggie so she took them and Maggie in her arms. Then, furious, Wangero left saying that they just don’t understand and that they should learn more about their