In the short story Everyday Use the character Dee shows the character traits of greed, over confidence, and uptight. One example, of Dee being greedy is how she wanted to take the quilts that her grandmother made. This example shows how Dee is greedy because Maggie deserved the quilts more because she acts like part of the family. An example, of Dee being uptight is when she takes pictures of her family and their house, but does not include herself in the picture. Furthermore this shows how Dee is uptight because she is too embarrassed to include herself in the picture. Lastly one example, of how Dee is overconfident is how she use to stop reading to Mama and Maggie. Moreover, this shows that she is overconfident because she thought they would
Consumed by greed, author Gary Soto reiterates his first sin with imagery and a plethora of symbols as he is overpowered by greed and must accept God back into his life. To clarify, the sin itself was fueled by greed, which the then six years old Gary Soto was not able to resist. At the time, the author stole an apple pie from a bald grocer “whose forehead shone with a window of light.” (Line 18) It is as if Gary Soto is turning away from the house of God which is adorned with windows to let in His light. The author grins at the grocer and exits, at that moment he has turned his back on the house of God, giving in to greed’s temptation by stealing an apple pie; much like Eve stole the apple from the Garden of Eden.
Social class changes a person into something that isn’t always good. Dee went to the extreme end of the line, instead of trying to help people like her mother and sister slowly go into society she throws it all
Ms. Johnson then introduces a new character who will be arriving at the home shortly, Dee. She is Ms. Johnson’s other daughter who is described as having a less than ideal relationship with her family. Dee is described by her mother as independent and fearless, differing from her sister, Maggie, who is portrayed as awkward and less attractive than her sister. When Dee arrives, she is wearing a flamboyant dress and looks put together. Ms. Johnson displays shock when she sees her daughter, and is even more shocked to hear that Dee has changed
Growing up together under the same conditions clearly created two very distinct individuals with contrasting views regarding their past, present, and future. When Dee arrives home from college, she portrayed herself as higher class; she put herself above her family and her past. During her visit, she was looking for valuable things to have in her home. While looking around, Dee notices two handmade quilts containing pieces of clothe that date back to the Civil War.
Furthermore, Dee-Wangero’s relationship with her mother and sister is very strained. Throughout the story you can see Mrs. Johnson’s resentment towards Dee-Wangero. Dee-Wangero’s persistence in trying to teach her mother and sister and lack of respect for her family’s heritage also cause a gap between her and Mrs. Johnson. Misunderstandings play a role in their relationship, for example, Mrs. Johnson used to think that Dee-Wangero hated her and Maggie (Walker 744). However, according to Susan Farrell, “elsewhere, as well, we see that Mama is often wrong about her expectations of Dee and her readings of Dee's emotions” (1998).
Looking at the story with Dee telling it would allow access to her thoughts so that the reader can understand why she is the way she is. It would allow the reader to access the deeper meaning to certain actions she takes and why she says the things she says. The point of view in a story determines so much for the reader including their feelings towards a certain character, in this case,
Dee is also really selfish which makes her have tension between her family since she only cares about herself. Throughout the story, there were a lot of conflicts between Dee and her family which shows with the quilt incident, butter churn controversy and lastly different views on heritage. One of the main conflicts in Everyday Use is the quilt incident. The conflict started when Wangero (Dee) came out with two quilts that had been pieced by Grandma Dee and big Dee.
The story goes beyond these traits to deal mainly with the way in which the two sisters value their heritage. Maggie knows nothing but her heritage, for she has never left home. On the other hand, Dee seems to have
In “Everyday Use” Alice Walker describes the narrator of the story, Mama with strong alliterations, and vivid imagery. Mama is a loving mother plagued by two polar-opposite daughters, Maggie who is a naive yet good-hearted person who wants to maintain the last connection she has with her heritage and Dee who is a selfish and egotistical character with a superficial understanding of her inheritance. Mama’s inner monologue gives us a glimpse of how far she would go to show this unconditional love, and the reasoning behind her rising tension and separation towards Dee. Mama describes herself as a “large, big boned women,” which she is very proud of her manly nature and ability to milk cows and butcher hogs.
Dee is a girl who lived with her mom and her sister Maggie, but she wasn’t like them at all, she was different than her sister and her mother. Mama was collecting money to take Dee to school in Augusta. Dee liked to be fashionable, she always wanted nice things. Dee changed allot in the story, she changed after she went to study in school.
In attempts to reconnect with her African roots, Dee has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. Dee has also taken an interest in embracing her African heritage and has dressed in traditional African clothes to visit her mother. Her mother knows that Dee’s intentions are not genuine. Worrying more about taking pictures of her mother and collecting items that represent the African culture to take back home, Dee neglects to spend time with her family. Her mother notices that Dee, “Lines up picture after picture of me sitting there in front of the house with Maggie cowering behind me.
The family leads a hard working, simple and minimalistic life that allows them just enough to get by. Mama is described as a “large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands” (Walker 418). Her day to day life doesn’t allow for the high standards of her eldest daughter Dee. Dee is described by Mama as being unappreciative and bratty. Mama makes is clear that the family’s socioeconomic status would never be good enough for the eldest daughter.
Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” illustrates Dee’s struggle for identity by placing her quest for a new identity against her family’s desire for maintaining culture and heritage. In the beginning, the narrator, who is the mother of Dee, mentions some details about Dee; how she “...wanted nice things… She was determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts… At sixteen, she had a style of her own: and (she) knew what style was.” Providing evidence to the thesis, she was obviously trying exceptionally hard to find for herself a sense of identity. She wanted items her family couldn’t afford, so she worked hard to gain these, and she found a sense of identity from them, but it also pushed her farther away from her family.
Ms. Johnson didn't have an education, yet she knew the value of the quilts and she didn’t let a few words from Dee change her decision of giving the quilts to Maggie. Dee leaves her mother’s house quite upset and tells her sister, “You ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie. It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you’d never know it” (Walker 12).
This womanist conceptualization is shown by a nuanced destruction by Dee’s response to the quilt, which is the main metaphor in the story. A typical political rhetoric is represented in the character of Dee. This is a rhetoric which is more aggressive than mature, showier than subtle. Dee ends up in simplifying and commodifying culture, instead of relating it to any meaningful way. She comes out as a being who takes activism as a fad rather than a commitment.