Influence Of Culture In Alice Walker's Everyday Use

Most people have had some fight or disagreement with a member of their family. Some might say it is natural for families to argue, but sometimes the reasons behind them are much more substantial than they might appear at first glance. The short story “Everyday Use” by Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker deals a situation like this (Kirszner and Mandell 344). Walker feels strongly about people reconnecting with their heritage; in fact, she retook her maiden name three years into her marriage to honor her great great great grandmother (Kirszner and Mandell 344). When reading “Everyday Use” her opinions on ancestry and family are evident. Also, similar to how Walker changed her name, a character in the story changes her name, but for the

Everyone's culture is different, that's why the majority of people have different opinions on certain subjects. Even though everyone goes through different experiences, the way they were taught growing up effects how they will be in the future. One's culture has a very big impact on how they view others and the world. In the essay, "Ethic Hash" by Patricia J. Williams, She is explaining how people's culture affects the way they see others.

Dee and Maggie’s behavior did not change throughout the story, but Mama’s attitude proves to be drastically transformed by the end. As Dee is introduced towards the beginning, the author implies that Maggie thinks “her sister has held life always in the palm of one hand, that ‘no’ is a word the world never learned to say to her”. However, while Dee and Mama argue over the quilts, Mama claims, “I did something I never had done before: hugged maggie to me, then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands”. This action from Mama distinctly epitomizes her denial towards Dee. Mama’s rejection perfectly exemplifies her change, because in retrospect, Dee is portrayed as a girl who never had to think twice about

Josie doesn’t like the fact that her mother won’t stick up for herself against her

They both don’t want to believe that their moms would ever leave them in very similar

In the story “Everyday Use” I find Maggie to be the most sympathetic. Maggie’s older sister, Dee, makes Maggie feel inferior to her. Maggie has burn scars and marks on her body, that makes her feel like she doesn’t look good. Dee always receive what she want and Dee is also smart. While Maggie isn’t so smart and doesn’t have the money or style to get what she wants. Alice Walker might find Dee most sympathetic. Alice relate to Dee more than she relates to Maggie. Alice knows what Dee went through to get where she’s at. Both Alice and Dee came from poor families trying to make it. Both went to college and made something out of themselves.

The comparison of characters is something an author allows us to do while reading a

The setting of Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” reveals important aspects about the family in many ways. Without the enriched setting provided to the reader by Walker, this story would have had no foundation on which to be built.

In the short story Mama states: “Dee… at age sixteen had a style of her own: and knew what tyle was.” pg. 105. Dee knew what fashion was and wanted to pursue a career in the industry. On the other hand, we have Maggie.

The point of view in the story “Everyday Use,” by Alice Walker plays a big part. Throughout the story, one of Mama’s daughters came to visit. The way Mama and Maggie see her is not in a very pleasant way. In fact, they are scared to tell her no when it comes to anything. From Mama’s perspective Dee seems like this rude, stuck up, spoiled child because she had the opportunity to go out and expand her education, while Mama and Maggie continued to live their lives on the farm. On the other hand, if the point of view was switched to Dee, the way the reader views her, has a possibility of changing.

Dee is asking for the quilts to pay “homage” to her heritage. But she is also stripping this heritage from her sister by taking the quilts. Maggie is the sister who never derived from her home and true culture where the quilt was fabricated. Instead of

Maggie In Alice Walker's Everyday Use, the use of a flamboyant and downright abrasive character as Dee helps to portray the serious effects of a lack of exposure to society in the quiet and passive demeanor of Maggie. Maggie's isolation from the riches of society in the world offers a stark contrast with her sister, Dee. Where Dee is ostentatious and loud, Maggie is almost silent and shies away from any flux of social activity. She's is repeatedly skittish

The author also reveals Maggie through her mother's eyes and how she already was going to give Maggie the quilts. While the mom was talking to Dee she fortifies that ,"I promised to give them quilts to Maggie"(Walker 64). This depicts how the mother grasps the fact that Maggie is particularly familiar with the family's heritage and culture that surrounds the meaning of the quilt. The mother believes Maggie recognizes the quilt's importance to the family by it symbolizing the family's heritage and the pride and memories it

“Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! She said. “she’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” (walker). This shows that dee really wants the quilts but not for the reason her mother wants.

Any mother would feel like a bad mother after all, so did Daisy, Donny’s mom. “She had always told Donny he had talent, was smart, was good with his hands” (Tyler 288). Daisy was always trying to cheer her son up, but he was way too impulsive to understand what she truly means. Then Daisy realized that while she was so preoccupied with Donny’s problems, she forgot about her youngest daughter. “She couldn’t give as much attention to Donny's younger sister” (Tyler 287).