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Literary Devices In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

1083 Words5 Pages

Kenny Schlegel
Ms. Sauer
Literature
3 April 2023
Modern Heritage Families often hold heirlooms, such as jewelry, in high regard because of the history and memories associated with the heirloom. “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is about an African American girl, Dee, who reconnected with their African heritage and after coming back home from school wants to take some of her mother's heirlooms to preserve and use as decor in her new home. When the mother insists that the family quilts will go to the younger sister, Maggie, who has stayed at home Dee is furious because she feels that Maggie will not take proper care of the quilts by using them. In the end, the mother gives the quilts to Maggie because she wants her to use them and Dee gets upset …show more content…

The mother wonders why Dee does not dance around their burned house because she hated that house (Walker 369). The burned house and Dee’s hatred for the house symbolize her cutting off her family's history and wanting to find a new heritage. “While Dee has acquired an education and understands her African past, she mistakenly looks to this history in order to affirm her heritage, forgetting her real origins and the people who raised her” (Admin). Walker uses irony to show that Dee’s education is misguided because she focuses only on her African …show more content…

The setting shows Dee’s distaste for the everyday use of the family home. Walker left home and joined the civil rights movement similar to how Dee left home and learned of her African heritage. The plot showed how if Dee were to get the family heirlooms she would only display them as trinkets while Maggie would use and repair them to keep the family tradition alive. Dee represents heritage with her fascination with her African roots, while Maggie represents everyday use with her ability to use and repair the family quilts. Dee’s understanding of her African heritage but neglecting her immediate family’s history shows irony and the conflict between heritage and everyday use.
Works Cited
Admin, JL. “Everyday Use by Alice Walker: Symbolism and other Literary Devices.” Jotted Lines, 2 July 2019, https://jottedlines.com/everyday-use-by-alice-walker-symbolism-and-other-literary-devices/. Accessed 31 March 2023.
Fine, Laura. “Alice Walker | Biography, Books, The Color Purple, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 February 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alice-Walker. Accessed 29 March

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