The short story "Everyday Use," written by a Black American author , Alice Walker portrays unsimilar characteristics and attitude of the characters, ( Dee and Maggie,) to show (two different views/her views) on the way an individual understands heritage. On a deeper level, Walker used her characterization of Maggie and Dee in the story to present her concept of heritage as it applies for the African Americans. The concept on how Black Americans deal with their heritage. The story was published in the time where Black Americans were in search of their cultural roots and identity- the decade of the 60' and 70's . They were ready to reject their American Heritage and seek for their African roots. By this time, Walker criticized and challenged them somehow in their views through her characters in the story. It is important to acknowledge that Walker is not condemning them about their search of their culture. Rather, she challenged them in a part of their beliefs to show respect for those African Americans who endured the pain to survive during hostile time for the blacks before.
             The story started as Mama and Maggie awaits the visitation of Dee. Walker used the narrator's point of view to describe the contrasting character of the two sisters. The fashionable educated Dee was described as a will powered woman and has high standards of demand. Mama describes her that " She would always look anyone in the eye. Hesitation was no part of her nature" (121) and "at sixteen she had a style of her own: and knew what the style was was'' (122). In this case, Walker used Dee's character t represent the strong black woman in their era who had an education and adopt the recent cultural trends and the changes of their contextual settings. They spoke loud on their demands and aggressively fought for it. In contrast, the shy- natured Maggie is not bright, lame and not beautiful beca...