Everyday Use By Alice Walker Analysis

In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, Mama goes through the stages of changing emotions and thoughts about her two daughters, Dee and Maggie. Told through first-person by Mama, the story describes the difference between the two daughter and how each of them chooses to adopt the family history and tradition. As the story progresses, the readers can clearly understand the dynamic nature of Mama and what she learns on the way. This shows Walker’s view that it is important to embrace family heritage in everyday lives. An analysis of character, setting, and irony in Walker’s “Everyday Use” conveys that family history and tradition should be honored and cherished. Walker uses detailed characterization of Mama, a protagonist, to add

Mama’s house in the South is deep rooted in family history, not to mention all the antiques such as the quilt, butter churner, and benches that her husband made, which are still being used at the house. When Dee arrives home she takes a snapshot of “me (Mama), and Maggie and the house” (Walker 613) without even bothering to greet them. This illustrates to the readers that Dee is only concerned with herself and being seen as a cultural queen to the world. Unlike Dee, Mama and Maggie do not need to show off their culture on the outside because they are part of the culture. In fact, Maggie and Mama embrace the family tradition by knowing how to quilt, churn butter, and use other antiques in their daily lives. Furthermore, they know the family history and whom the antiques were passed down from. For instance, Maggie says, “ ‘Aunt Dee’s first husband whittled the dash…His name was Henry, but they called him Stash’ ” (614) and Mama knows that blue piece in the quilt “was from Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War” (615). This further proves that Mama and Maggie are very well informed about their family heritage and know how to show respect and love toward their