ipl-logo

Everyday Use Maggie Character Analysis

637 Words3 Pages

In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, there is a sibling rivalry between two sisters: Dee and Maggie. Although we do not know who is older than the other, we can assume that Dee is older than Maggie, because Maggie is in constant “awe” of Dee (46). One of these sisters is spoiled almost too much. Another sister is more academically intelligent. However, only one out of the two sisters cares about her family more than herself. This is how Dee is different from Maggie and vice versa. There are a few similarities between Dee and Maggie. For instance, they both grew up in the same house (until Dee went to Augusta for schooling). They both would have had the same parents. Maggie is going to be married to John Thomas (49) and Dee might be married to Hakim-a-barber (52); …show more content…

In the first paragraph, it is already stated that the world had never learned to say no to Dee (46): her mother especially. Dee wants a dress for graduation; Mama buys it for her (49). She wants Mama’s butter churn; she obtains that too (53). Compared to Maggie, Dee is much more fashionable. She wants to use the ancient quilts, steeped in family heritage, to be put on display instead of using them as the blankets that they are (55). She’s even willing to do anything that happens to be in style, as evidenced by when she would pin an “orchid” on Mama in Mama’s fantasy. Even though Dee said to her that she thought orchids were tacky, she does it when it is trendy. However, Dee does not care about her family. She did not like her first house and was elated to watch it burn down (49). Also, she left for an education away from her family in Augusta (49). Mama even thinks that Dee was (and is) apathetic towards Maggie (49). Even though one might think that she cares about her heritage, Dee only cares if she’s “supposed to care”; society is looking for that. Dee is heavily shrouded by her style, but in reality, she is a cruel, uncaring

Show More
Related
119 Words | 1 Pages

Alice Walker might find Dee most sympathetic. Alice relate to Dee more than she relates to Maggie. Alice knows what Dee went through to get where she’s at. Both Alice and Dee came from poor families trying to make it. Both went to college and made something out of themselves.

Read More
411 Words | 2 Pages

Unlike Dee, who drifted away from heritage, Maggie and Mama embrace

Read More
664 Words | 3 Pages

"She 'd probably be backwards enough to put them to everyday use" (320). Dee thinks Maggie would be dumb to keep the quilts for “everyday use”. Also, she figured her family did not know their own heritage. Dee feels as though her sister should “make something of” herself. She states, “It’s really a new day for us” to show that Maggie needs to see a greater amount of the world.

Read More
457 Words | 2 Pages

In the short story, “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, their are two distinct characters who are very different from each other. These characters have many different motivations, personalities, and points of views with respect to preserving their heritage. The narrator, Mama, looks at them both with different views. Dee and Maggie are two completely different people. Dee has different motivations than Maggie.

Read More
271 Words | 2 Pages

Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” illustrates Dee’s struggle for identity by placing her quest for a new identity against her family’s desire for maintaining culture and heritage. In the beginning, the narrator, who is the mother of Dee, mentions some details about Dee; how she “...wanted nice things… She was determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts… At sixteen, she had a style of her own: and (she) knew what style was.” Providing evidence to the thesis, she was obviously trying exceptionally hard to find for herself a sense of identity. She wanted items her family couldn’t afford, so she worked hard to gain these, and she found a sense of identity from them, but it also pushed her farther away from her family.

Read More
1861 Words | 8 Pages

Mama ultimately decides that she wants to keep the quilts for their sentimental value and to pass them down to future generations. Mama makes an effort to counteroffer and convince Dee to take some other quilts that have less sentimental value. Dee declines, “No, I don't want those. They are stitched around the borders by machine,” and instead asks for “pieces of dresses Grandma used to wear,” (Walker 320). Her decision to keep them symbolizes her desire to maintain the family’s traditions and protect their history.

Read More
494 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
587 Words | 3 Pages

Everyday Use and Sula are coming of age stories. They both illustrate times in people’s lives when they have to decide to how they are going to live with their past and themselves. The short story "Everyday Use", Alice Walker emphasizes the aspect of individuality. The story focuses on the lives of two sisters, Maggie and Dee.

Read More
636 Words | 3 Pages

Mama wanted nothing but the best for her; she did everything in her power to get her to college because she wanted her to have a better life than she did. However, Dee used her education against Mama and Maggie in efforts to present her culture in a “better” way. Changing her name to Wangero because her birth name “Dee”, as she informed them “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people oppress me” (Walker 27). In contrast, Mama and Maggie never changed the way they dressed “African descent” or change their names to portray their true

Read More
983 Words | 4 Pages

The point of view in the story “Everyday Use,” by Alice Walker plays a big part. Throughout the story, one of Mama’s daughters came to visit. The way Mama and Maggie see her is not in a very pleasant way. In fact, they are scared to tell her no when it comes to anything. From Mama’s perspective Dee seems like this rude, stuck up, spoiled child because she had the opportunity to go out and expand her education, while Mama and Maggie continued to live their lives on the farm.

Read More
1338 Words | 6 Pages

Maggie is described as a large big boned woman with rough man working hands. Dee is described

Read More
1936 Words | 8 Pages

In the story, Dee is presented to the audience as someone who enjoys nice things and “had a style of her own: and knew what style was.” She wears the typical Americanized clothing style common to that time period. However, when she arrives at her family’s home, her family finds that she has completely altered her style: Walker writes in description of Dee, “A dress to the ground, in this hot weather. A dress so loud it hurts my eyes. There are yellow and oranges enough to throw back the light…

Read More
610 Words | 3 Pages

The story goes beyond these traits to deal mainly with the way in which the two sisters value their heritage. Maggie knows nothing but her heritage, for she has never left home. On the other hand, Dee seems to have

Read More
1283 Words | 6 Pages

This point of view contributes to this story is multiple ways. Mama narrating this story helps to give the reader insight into the past of the characters. Mama was there for everything that happened in the lives of her two daughters, Dee and Maggie. She knows their personalities and how they feel about their heritage and lives. As a result of Mama’s knowledge of these important details, Mama is able to add a contrast between the past and the present.

Read More
1026 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout the story Mama describes both of the girls and how she feels about their differences, even though they are sisters and grew up in the same house. Maggie and Dee are different in their

Read More

More about Everyday Use Maggie Character Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document