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Everyday Use By Alice Walker Analysis

404 Words2 Pages

Upon reading the piece Everyday Use by Alice Walker my initial reaction was that cultural appropriation of her culture/heritage is what motivated her to write this story. Throughout the story, it is clearly evident that Maggie and Dee (Wangero) are two polar opposites. Maggie is reserved and self-conscious about her body, for she was burned in a fire. When describing Maggie, Mama compares her walk to a dog that has been run over and says, "She has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground" (Walker 316). Clearly, Maggie is not one who is confident in her own skin. On the other hand, Dee, "… is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure" (Walker 316). In addition, Dee was educated whereas Maggie and Mama were not. For that reason, Dee views herself as superior to her family members. …show more content…

In addition, she takes the dasher so that she can do, "… something artistic..." with it. When Mama took the wrapped-up dasher in her hands she examined it, and noticed, "… where the thumbs and fingers had sunk into the wood" (Walker 320). For Mama, it was an important piece of history and a sentimental symbol of the hard work her family had put in to make butter throughout the years. Whereas, for Dee it was somewhat of an artifact of the past. Dee's treatment of her family members, and treatment of objects that are a symbol of her family's traditions and culture is what lead me to believe that the cultural appropriation Walker witnessed throughout her life is what motivated her to write this

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These differences cause tension to wear on family relationships, ultimately causing Dee to leave in anger. Walker uses characterization, contrast, and imagery to portray Dee and Mama’s relationship, and that mother-daughter relations are not always as the parties wish them to be. Mama and Dee are characterized by their appearances, thoughts, and actions. Mama describes herself as stout, broad boned, and man-handed. Mama is described as somewhat inferior to her daughter, whose “humor…erupted like bubbles

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Beginning with Dee, the story clearly expresses how Dee was “lighter skinned, has nicer hair, and a fuller figure” than Maggie who is the very reserved young daughter. Mama also describes Dee’s feet as she’s getting out of the car as “neat looking” and “like God himself had shaped them with a certain style.” However, this is not the case with Maggie. The young daughter was scarred from the house fire, and left with burns affecting her vision. The house fire not only scarred her body but is a big contribute on why she is so withdrawn.

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The short story, Everyday Use, is written by Alice Walker. This short story tells about the narrator, mama, and her daughter Maggie wait for a visit from Dee, mama’s older daughter. Throughout this short story, the reader can see the distraught relationship between mama and Dee. The reader can see how Dee is different than mama and Maggie; she thinks that she knows way more about her heritage than mama and Maggie, when she really does not. In the short story, Everyday Use, Walker uses imagery, symbolism, and point of view to show that heritage can only be understood when one is true to their roots.

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In author Alice Walker’s short story, “Everyday Use,” her character, Dee Johnson (later called Wanjero), is well explained to the audience by Walker’s use of characterization to show that Dee is educated, exacting, and entitled. Walker makes sure Dee’s knowledgeable behavior is kept as it is a core part of the story. For example, she went to college, unlike the rest of her family as shown by her knowledge on African American history. She has also “...burned us with knowledge,” according to her mother. In addition to that, Dee constantly displays her exacting ways.

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The family leads a hard working, simple and minimalistic life that allows them just enough to get by. Mama is described as a “large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands” (Walker 418). Her day to day life doesn’t allow for the high standards of her eldest daughter Dee. Dee is described by Mama as being unappreciative and bratty. Mama makes is clear that the family’s socioeconomic status would never be good enough for the eldest daughter.

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Thin body, scars up and down her arms and legs described as Maggie. “ Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle( move sideways in a shy, sneaky manner) up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him? That is the way my Maggie walks. She has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground”( 78 Walker). Dee has been always a good looking girl with neat feet, nice-black hair and a fuller figure and light weighted than Maggie.

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Maggie was never ashamed of her home, she accepted her future. She knows she will marry John Thomas and have a humble life. But on the other hand, Dee wants more, she wants an education to surpass Maggie and her mother. Maggie continues submerging in her background she stayed with her mother to learn her mother’s traditions, such as quilting. Dee learned about her roots by going off from her family, in fact, she is so detached from her own roots that she feels the need to change her name to “Wangero” a name from a heritage other than her

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Throughout her story “Everyday Use”, Alice Walker conveys the artifacts and ideas we value and choices we make shape our identity as a person. The two central characters, Mama and her daughter, Dee (Wangero), undergo transformations throughout the story. Dee undergoes transformations once she reaches society and is not repressed by her culture, which she so desperately hated. However, when she visits engage, she loves the artifacts from her culture and see them as a piece of art. Mama and Dee undergo big transformations as they face a daughter and mother conflict against their heritage.

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Dee had always been the pretty one in the family, as so described in the story, nothing else really concerned her. Dee’s family remains an embarrassment for her, despite her also having to experience the hardships they all lived through before she left. During their house burning, Dee stood and watched rather than show any type of concern for her sister Maggie who was victim. Dee puts herself before anyone, or anything else. She had the opportunity to save her sister from such severe burns, but her remaining perfectly intact was the only preoccupation she had.

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Sarnowski describes Maggie by stating, “She ekes out an existence on the family farm and has neither the intelligence nor the physical attributes of Dee/Wangero” (Sarnowski 278). This statement shows that Maggie lives a conservative type of farm life, and due to this lifestyle, she is less intelligent than her sister. This statement also shows how the character Maggie is described in a sense as inferior to Dee because of her lack of education and physical attributes. Maggie’s traditionalist ways show, however, when she tells her mother, “"She can have them, Mama,” … "I can 'member Grandma Dee without the quilts"” (Walker 6).

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While reading Everyday Use, written by Alice Walker, as a reader you come to find out when looking at the two sisters, Maggie and Dee they are as similar as black and white when referring to what they have in common, along with how they’re raised. Throughout the story, it shows the tension between the family and how Dee finds the way to be the center of attention. Also, how Dee’s overconfidence runs her relationship with her younger sister Maggie leading into the shame her family feels while around her. Finally, the different reasons the two sisters know about their heritage. The tension between the Narrator, portrayed by their mom, along with Dee and Maggie is noticeable throughout the story.

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Your Name Professor Name Subject Name 04 September 20XX Character Analysis: Everyday Use “Everyday Use” is a story written by Alice Walker in 1973 and was initially published under her Love and Trouble collection of short stories. “Everyday Use” takes place in the late 1960s to early 1970s when African Americans struggled for equal rights and treatment. This story features Dee, also known as Wangero, visiting her mother and younger sister, Maggie. While Dee plays a major role in this story, Maggie holds a significant part of the story through her personality, her relationship with her sister, and her symbolism.

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Characterization in “Everyday use” In “Everyday Use” Alice Walker creates the characters of Mom, Maggie, and Dee in order to explore the appreciation and values of African American culture and what it stands for. The story grows around one daughter Dee coming back home to visit her family. As one is introduced to the characters in “Everyday Use”, it becomes noticeable that the two sisters, Maggie and Dee, are very different. Maggie is portrayed as a homely and ignorant girl, while Dee is portrayed as a beautiful and educated woman.

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