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Loyalty In Alice Walker's Everyday Use

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Mohandas Gandhi once suggested, “Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.” A disagreement is defined as lack of consensus or approval. In the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker, two sisters Maggie and Dee, tend to disagree. Siblings often disagree due to being treated differently by others and simply by having different personalities. These disagreements and differences often lead to conflict. Siblings can disagree for a number of different reasons one of them being the way that they are treated by others. For example, in the story the older sister Dee has moved away from her family resulting in her receiving more attention when she comes home to visit. This is reflected when the narrator acknowledges, “She thinks …show more content…

For instance, when Maggie was younger, she was burned in a fire impacting her behavior and causing her to be shy and timid. This is described when Mama expresses, “Maggie attempts to make a dash for the house, in her shuffling way, but I stay her with my hand” (72). Mama that Maggie is shy and tries to avoid both public and social situations as much as possible. On the other hand, Dee is a very outspoken person with her family. Readers can see this when the narrator emphasises, “At sixteen she had a sense of style her own; and she knew who she was”(72). The fact that she doesn’t care what people think about her reflects her extroverted, outspoken personality. All in all, the differences between the two girls causes them to have opposing opinions leading to conflicts. In conclusion, disagreements can form between siblings, due to differences in personality and they way they are treated by others. Both different opinions and the views of society impact siblings thoughts on each other. When Everyday use was written in 1973, ancestors’ possessions were more valued by family members than they are now. Sibling rivalry is important because it has existed for generations and is still relevant today. Over time sibling rivalry has developed on multiple scales, but in the end, society needs to accept how individuals express themselves and show

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