Critical Analysis of Walker's Every Day Use
A Critical Analysis of Alice Walker's "Every Day Use" The way that an individual understands their present life is in direct relation to the current traditions of their culture and people. Because America is virtually a compilation of many cultures and traditions, it is not uncommon that one could become confused when confronted about the true value of one's heritage and culture. Through careful descriptions of the characters, settings and quilts in her story "Everyday Use," Alice Walker demonstrates that a person's value of their heritage and culture is not necessarily represented by possessions, but by one's lifestyle and attitude. Walker utilizes detailed descriptions and emotional appeal of Dee (Wangero), the mother and Maggie to show two different valuations of cultural heritage. Mama and Maggie represent a content, simple and practical way of life, where culture and heritage are valued both for usefulness and personal significance. Mama, the narrator, describes herself as "a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands." She also states that she "knocked a bull calf straight in the brain between the eyes with a sledge hammer and had the meat hung up to chill before night fall." While read
Dee obviously expressed no care for the importance of her name by changing it to Wangero. Maggie, who was burned at a young age, lives the same simplistic life as her mother. Upon her return, Dee was a completely different person, who called herself Wangero. " Even though Mama tried to reason with her in regards to her name change by explaining that she was named after Aunt Dicie, Dee had already made up her mind from being in the mainstream society, which, ironically, her family was not from. The Walk Around the Mountain quilt portrayed Dee. On the other hand, Dee is the representation of a materialistic, complex and modern way of life where culture is decorative and trendy. " The house is just as simple with only three rooms, no real windows, and sits in the middle of a pasture. Dee wanted to hang the qui!lts she found on her wall, while Maggie would have used them for what they were made for - everyday use. "[Dee] wrote to me once that no matter where we 'choose' to live, she will manage to come see us. Rather than research her lineage through her family, she chose to flow with society and attempt to express her culture through items and actions that she thought had significance. Over and above the characters and setting, the quilts are very noteworthy symbols in the story. The house is also used to represent their actual family history and culture, which both Mama and Maggie realize and Dee does not. Walker describes Maggie as "homely" and a "lame animal," stimulating sympathetic and pitiful emotions because of her bur!n scars and shyness. In addition to the characters, Walker also draws a picture of the story's setting to show the lifestyles of Mama, Maggie and Dee. ing these descriptions, it is easy to begin to admire Mama's self-sufficiency.
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