Alice Walker Everyday Use Summary

Although Janie faces many hardships in her life, she finds her inner voice by narrating her story to Pheoby, her true friend. Using her authoritative story telling voice, Janie hopes to voice her opinion to the

“They were women who idolized their children, worshipped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.” (pg 40) Edna finds the role of a mother being lackluster and only impeding her from awakening her inner consciousness. She realizes it would only bring her imprisonment and the lack of independence. She denies the role of a mother to carry out duties and responsibilities for her family rather pursue her dreams she longed for. While at Grand Isle while sitting on the front porch, Adele is sewing winter clothes for her children, although winter is far ahead. It shows her loving care toward her children.

However, marrying Tea Cake enabled her to be free from the submissive female role she was living -- “her shadow existEnce” (Kaplan 2304). After getting to know Tea Cake more, he teaches her how to play checkers, “he set it up and began to show her and she found herself glowing inside” (95). Janie’s previous husbands would have never played checkers with her because they believed she is too stupid to understand it and that her only role is to keep them happy, not herself happy. Tea Cake allows her to feel free from the female role of being in the home. She glows because she realizes she has been oppressed her entire life and is just now starting to discover true

Eva doesn’t have the definition to separate the black people or white people, both of them are identical for Eva, so Eva can warm everyone in her short life. After she comes back from north, she shakes hand and kisses with all the servant, she also shares all kinds of food and toys, also the story with everyone, these matters even make her family feel sick. She doesn’t want to see the scene that the family good part, she feels very sad about the slave system, therefore she often persuades her father to liberate his slavery, and also disseminates all around to make others give up

Forty-eight hours they said, and everyone home.” Later she said “ I’m not worried, I’ll let Pete do all the worrying.” She giggled. “I’ll let old Pete do all the worrying. Not me I’m not worried.” (p.90-91) After that Mildred changes the subject to a five-minute romance. In other words they don’t care about what happens to their loved ones because they didn’t really love them in the first place and that they would rather have a ‘family’ that lives on the screen when they have their own family to love and to care for. As a result Montag got irritated and unplugged the TV and the women flipped out just because the ‘family’ got turned

When Dee (Wangero) began taking things that belonged to her mother in order to decorate her new house, the mood changed quickly from bewilderment to acrimony when Dee finally went too far. The sole purpose for Dee’s visit was to procure specific items belonging to her mother. Mom was initially perplexed as to why Dee would want the churn top and dasher and quickly incensed over Dee’s insistence that she was the only one capable of properly caring for the quilts. Wangero is astounded that her mother is going to give Maggie the blankets to be used for everyday use, believes that the quilts need to be preserved, and tells her mother that she doesn’t understand her own culture. Mama becomes enraged that her daughter is so condescending and self-centered.

While reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, the relationship between Rex and Rose Mary walls and their children became to be very intriguing. Specifically how they raised their kids without holding anything back, an idea reinforced by a famous Walt Disney quote This quote describes how “trying to shield” children ) from reality” wouldn’t “do them any favor.” This idea was enforced by multiple occasions from the book which include letting Jeannette cook by herself at the age of 3, even after getting serious burns from cooking, letting the kids do whatever they wanted as long as they “Used common sense”, and the incident where Rex let Jeannette go upstairs with a stranger because he knew she could defend herself. The first incident revolves around how Jeannette was allowed to cook, even after having serious burns from from cooking.”She had to get right back on the saddle.” And how she “couldn’t live in fear of something as basic as fire.”(Said after Rose saw Jeanette cooking by herself again) “I was three years old...standing on a chair in front of the stove…”I was wearing the dress to cook hot dogs, watching them bob in the boiling water.” Jeanette also stated how “... she lets me cook by myself--a lot.” Rose would say “‘Good for you’, when “she saw me cooking.” Rose believes that you must not let something stop you, no matter how serious, because you must live on. If you allow something to consume you and stop you from pushing forward, you will not be able to live,

Aunt Alexandra shows care for her niece and nephew because she worries where the children have gone. She nearly faints when Calpurnia finds Jem and Scout at the trial. “I didn’t think it wise in the first place to let them (go),” Aunt Alexandra utters bitterly to Atticus when he returns home from the trial. One of Alexandra’s main goals as mother is to keep Jem and Scout innocent from their society as they grow up. According to Aunt Alexandra, adolescents do not need to listen to racist remarks and talk about rape.

How does a person value heritage and what type of impact does it hold on a family with a substantial history? Taking a glimpse beneath the surface of family relationships and views on traditional heritage, author Alice Walker showcases a true grasp on letting readers see into the compassionate lives of three strong female leads. With her short story “Everyday Use” each character relatable and described in such detail, the reader can truly sympathize and understand the impact heritage brings to a family. Walker’s compelling short story “Everyday Use” explores how complicated family dynamics can impact the attitude towards heritage through the three female leads. Family can occupy strong roots dating back generations with steadfast traditions that appreciate true meaning and personal endearment to family members.

If “Belicia was not at work, she was sleeping; Lola shopped, cooked, cleaned, took care of Oscar, and had the best grades in her class” (Diaz 56); nevertheless, Belicia complimented Lola. Belicia consider Lola just doing a daughter’s duties. Moreover, when Lola let Belicia know that the neighbor raped her, Belicia did nothing to confront the criminal; instead, Belicia told Lola shut her mouth and stop complaining. Belicia was not a mother of her word; she let Lola believe that Lola would go to the sixth grade sleep away to Bear Mountain, so Lola used her own paper-route money to buy a backpack, was all exciting getting ready to go. But on the morning of the trip, Belicia would not allow Lola to go.