Alice Walker's Everyday Use

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e the idea of heritage among the struggling African Americans of the 1950s and 60s. Many African Americans just accepted the way society treated them because they felt like there was nothing to do. The butter churn was a symbol of the hard work many African Americans faced as they came to America. Likewise, this superficiality and ignorance represent the movement’s disregard for its American heritage and the many blacks that jumped on the Black Power bandwagon with no real dedication to its root causes. This belief led them to honor the relics of their heritage by preserving them for museums or household decoration. Despite our race or ethnicity, it is important to hold on to things that capture what life was like for those who came before us and provided the life we lead today. It is in her nature not to fight, but to accept her role as peacemaker in the family.

Walker continues to convey the divergence of ideals between generations by showing that Maggie, as young as she is, is aware of the history of the butter churn and quilts, even though her older more secular sister is ignorant of their histories.

. Her dress, earrings, and bracelets are material things that make her superficial beauty stand out. The idea of many hands using the single dasher over time illustrates the importance of heritage. She wants to use the “churn top as a centerpiece for the alcove table” (93) and the quilts for wall decorations. She is an innocent, docile character who walks with “chin on chest, eyes on ground, and feet in shuffle” (89). Moreover, the quilts were often composed of feed sacks, recycled cloth, or relatives’ clothing. As David Cowart points out, “Wangero fails to see the mote in her own eye when she reproaches her mother and sister for a failure to value their heritage – she, who wants only to preserve that heritage as the negative index to her own sophistication” (Cowart 175).

Common topics in this essay:
African Americans, Power Movement, African American, Alice Walker, Cowart Wangero, Johnson Moreover, Maggie Dee, Dee Stash, Black Power, Dee Dee, african americans, butter churn, 1950s 60s, black power, ideals generations, divergence ideals generations, divergence ideals, alice walker conveys, alice walker, walker utilizes, african american, power movement, black power movement, african americans faced,

Approximate Word count = 1380
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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