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The Importance Of Setting In Alice Walker's Everyday Use

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When it comes to stories, especially in short stories, the setting is the basic foundation that sets the stage for the rest of the story. This is no different than in the story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker. In this story, there is not only a physical setting but also a historical/social one because of the period in which this takes place. The story would be very different if it were to occur during another time or area. The setting is key in this story because of its historical context; it sets the story's tone and reveals more about each character. “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker occurs in rural Georgia in the late 1960s early 1970s. This was a complex and sad time for America, as many African Americans were trying to find a new peace within themselves and society. We can see in this story that this family is having trouble agreeing on how they each should now live in the world. Dee, the oldest …show more content…

To Dee, these quilts and other items are not to be used but rather show off, but she doe not understand that her family is still in the position where they need them and will still be using them for their purpose. The quilts and the setting of the house they were eating in showed the disconnect between the family and the disconnect Dee had to her heritage. However, it also showed Maggie's heart and willingness to give her the quilts without a fight, even though they had been promised to her and her future husband, and she had significantly less than her sister. The end of the story also makes great use of the setting to help develop the characters as Mama and Maggie sit in the yard “just enjoying until it was time to go into the house and go to bed.” (Walker 276). This scene shows that Dee will no longer belittle them and that they are not ashamed of how they

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204 Words | 1 Pages

Furthermore, throughout the story Dee’s characters changes but her liking for objects stayed the same. She changed what objects she liked from having nice clothes to her family’s household objects. An example of Dee’s character changing from liking nice clothes to her family’s household objects is when she was asking her mother for her grandmother’s quilts. This is quite obvious when her mother said to talk the other quilt but she wanted the ones that her grandmother made with “pieces of [her] dresses [she] use to wear.

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1052 Words | 5 Pages

Occasion: Alice Walker writes the story to draw attention to the mindset of the minorities. Walker was an activist. “Everyday Use” is a short story within a collection documenting the stories of black women, such as Alice Walker herself. Audience: Walker writes the story for everyone to read.

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946 Words | 4 Pages

During the time she is there, she asks her mom to lend her some of the old, generational quilts that her mother kept. While the mom is making her decision, Dee demands for her to give her the quilts, saying that Maggie would ruin them if mother let her keep them. The quilt symbolizes the heritage created by many past generations and how it should never be forgotten, carried on into the future. The change of names that Dee did symbolizes how generational history slowly begins to deteriorate as time passes. Dee is a great example of someone who doesn't really appreciate heritage and isn't true to herself.

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494 Words | 2 Pages

She includes that the floor is composed of hard clay and sand which leads the reader to assume that the family is from a more poverty stricken region. The reader can make the assumption that the story takes place around the 1960’s during the Civil Rights Movement based off of the quote made by Dee addressing her younger sister Maggie at the end of the story “It’s really a new day for us. But from the way that you and Mama still live you’d never know it” (Walker 423).

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498 Words | 2 Pages

Dee doesn't think that Maggie should own the quilts because she will put them to everyday use and ruin them, but Momma disagrees and thinks that the quilts should be used. Her emotions shine through as she argues that,“‘... they’re priceless!’ she was saying now, furiously;for she has a temper” (Walker2). By changing her tone and using strong diction such as ‘priceless’, Dee is attempting to convince Momma that the quilts are too important and that by giving them to Maggie she would be making a mistake.

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330 Words | 2 Pages

In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, and the play A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry, the setting’s are crucial in the development of the plot. The short story “Everyday Use” is set in the 1960’s, similarly A Raisin in the Sun is set in the 1950’s. These times are very rough for African Americans in American history as they faced lots of Racism and prejudice impacting their day to day life. Therefore in both stories the setting is detrimental to the development of the plot as it creates conflict resulting from the Racism and Prejudice. In A Raisin in the Sun Mr.Lindner is a racist white man who attempts to pay the Younger’s not to move into the all white neighborhood.

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983 Words | 4 Pages

Looking at the story with Dee telling it would allow access to her thoughts so that the reader can understand why she is the way she is. It would allow the reader to access the deeper meaning to certain actions she takes and why she says the things she says. The point of view in a story determines so much for the reader including their feelings towards a certain character, in this case,

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1338 Words | 6 Pages

“Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! She said. “she’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” (walker). This shows that dee really wants the quilts but not for the reason her mother wants.

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987 Words | 4 Pages

She seems to be brutal in her assessment of her daughters, but one gets the feeling that it is out of love. For example, she says that Dee has become ungrateful and uppity since she got her new life. She however daydreams of the day they will meet on a talk show, and her daughter will thank her. She muses, "I am

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868 Words | 4 Pages

Not only did Dee tell mama that Maggie would use them right she said it in a way that makes maggie look bad as if she were some crazy person when in reality she's using something that was made to be used as the title suggests. This does not sit right with mama which is why she fails, Mama knows that these quilts were made to be used this is why she doesn’t want to give them to Dee, she knows that maggie will use them as intended. This ties in with the theme because if Dee were to have the quilts she would be practicing the culture not to mention she knows how to quilt which will also carry on the culture, unlike Dee who doesn’t care nor knows how to quilt. The theme correlates with this situation perfectly because she is telling mama the opposite of the theme, that culture should be preserved because people like maggie will use and destroy meaningful pieces such as

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1149 Words | 5 Pages

This new outlook on her life caused Dee to place different values on the items with which she had grown up. She wanted to take the items as things to put on display like art hanging on a wall. Dee even wanted the cherished quilts to “hang them” (Walker, 1973) instead of using them as blankets. As she saw it, to use the quilts for their original purpose would destroy them, or as she said, “Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they 'd be in rags” (Walker, 1973).

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830 Words | 4 Pages

Dee has also changed her overall appearance and has recreated a new image for herself by wearing brightly colored clothing and changing her voice. Critic of the story, David Cowart, describes Dee changes, “She now styles and dresses herself according to the dictates of a faddish Africanism and thereby demonstrates a cultural Catch-22: an American who attempts to become an African succeeds only in becoming a phony” (Cowart). She alienates herself from her original culture and values the items from her past

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629 Words | 3 Pages

With determined ambitions and education resulted in a lack of sensibility in heritage, history, and self identity, which only family can implement. Dee presents herself almost as a weird, intimidating individual foreign to what her family has ever known. The conflict that Mama and Maggie are confronted with is that Dee is does not care about anything but herself. When being rejected to have possession of the quilts Dee stated “But they’re priceless! She was saying now, furiously; for she has a temper.”.

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1561 Words | 7 Pages

These quilts are a ways of honoring her African American heritage and to be given these was very significant in their culture. For once Dee sees the historical background because of the stitching and material used, but doesn’t find any use in using them. Dee is going to try and convince her mom to let her keep the quilts, when Dee says, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” (Walker 721) and “You just will not understand. The point these quilts, these quilts!”

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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

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