The Use Of Heritage In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

“Who is entitled to speak for past generations” (“What is Heritage,” 2023, para. 3)? This is a dilemma that families have every day when a loved one pass and there is no will or plan of action. This causes serious debate over what should be done, and if what they decided is even correct. Besides the literal accounts that happen in life, individuals can also see this predicament unfold in stories like “Everyday Use,” where a mother is presented with the problem of her two daughters wanting these family quilts, but only one can have them. Due to this problem, the mother has to decide who should receive the quilts based on their intention with the quilts and their ideas of heritage. Therefore, In “Everyday Use” Alice Walker seeks to persuade people

To begin, one must understand what heritage is before one can see what Walker is trying to persuade. According to the Cambridge Dictionary (2023), heritage is defined as “features belonging to the culture of a particular society, such as traditions, languages, or buildings, that were created in the past and still have historical importance”(para. 1). Also, heritage is something that has been passed down for years and has become a tradition rather than a one-time thing. These examples of heritage can be seen in Walker’s story “Everyday Use” through Dee's change in name and the skills that Maggie learns.

First, Dee, the older daughter, is portrayed as an ethnic snob who is out of touch with her own family's history, but in touch with her ancestry. Dee goes through a

She admires Dee's education and her desire to learn about her ancestors, but she is also aware of Dee's hatred for her family's way of life. Dee's hatred takes away from the true meanings of the quilts because those quilts represent their family's way of life. A life of not wasting dirty or “old clothes” but repurposing them into something beautiful and useful (Walker, 1973, para. 62). Then when it comes to Maggie, Mama feels a close bond with Maggie, who is more like herself in personality and interests. While also having learned the family traditions of learning skills that can be used around the house. That is why Mama's final choice to give the quilts to Maggie, rather than Dee, shows that she values family heritage over ethnic heritage. Mama recognizes that the quilts are a symbol of her family's history, and she wants them to be passed down to future generations and she knows that with Dee that will not happen. With Dee, the quilts would just become a showpiece and the significance and history behind the items in the quilt will never be told to her children, causing an end to their family heritage of skills and hard work. Therefore, based on Mama’s decision the reader can tell that to Walker family heritage is more important than ethnic heritage. Walker was the author of this story and could have picked Dee to have the quilts, but Walker did not and because of her choice,