Everyday Use By Alice Walker

What exactly is heritage? Some may say heritage is like tradition; others might give a lengthy response introducing heritage as an exquisite sense of identification that includes a sense of belonging. Heritage is always involved and will always give people identity. Even by stating a name, that name evokes an identity within someone. Heritage brings people together in communities, where they share their past-down struggles, joy, childhood experiences, food, appearances, language, or any other characteristics. Heritage is a wonderful thing to know and own, but what if people from the same community disagree about a shared heritage? "Everyday Use" is a short story published by Alice Walker in 1944. The story introduces a family, with Maggie as

At the story’s beginning, the mother is excited about Wangero reuniting with the family. When Wangero returns home, she brings a companion named “Hakim-a-barber". With some greetings, the entire family sat down to dinner and began to eat. After some time during dinner, Wangero began asking her mother if she could take home two items, to which she was granted permission. After dinnertime, Wangero had gone to the trunk at the foot of her mother’s bed, pulling out two quilts, which she was fascinated with, and asked again to have the two items. The mother suggests that Wangero should get the other quilts, but Wangero refuses and is obstinate. With the back-and-forth argument ending, the mother refuses to hand over the quilts. Wangero, dissatisfied, tells how the mother does not understand heritage, and after a few moments before Wangero and her partner leave, Wangero addresses the mother and Maggie about having yet to know what heritage is. Alice Walker’s short story, “Everyday Use,” uses point of view and symbolism to establish a contrast between two perspectives on black

In the story, it mentions how Wangero was more knowledgeable about her family's roots which led to her criticizing the mother and Maggie for not having a connection toward their roots. Though this is from Wangero’s perspective on viewing her family's lifestyle when she returned to her family's house to visit. However, from Maggie's and the mother's point of view, they seem to understand their culture and signify that in diverse ways. For instance, Walker states, “I used to think she [Dee] hated Magie, too. But that was before we raised the money, the church and me, to send her to Augusta to school” (316). From this, it can be quickly established how Wangero was the only educated family member and could have the access to the opportunity of exploring different contents. Alice Walker also presents, ‘What don’t I understand?’ I wanted to know. ‘Your heritage,’ she said… ‘You ought to make something of yourself, too, Maggie. It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama live you’d never know it’... After we watched the car dust settle I asked Maggie to bring me a dip of snuff. And then the two of us sat there just enjoying, until it was time to go in the house and go to bed” (21). Dee does not seem to understand why her mother and sister would not choose to live the way Dee does, but from Maggie and the mother’s