What Are The Similarities Between Everyday Use And The Lottery

Traditions have been sought after and passed on for generations; with no questions asked, whether humane or not, traditions are hard to break and diminish as they are often what a culture or community stands for. In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, a story about the tradition of a small village, is painted in impeccable details of peace, and serenity on a warm summer day, as everyone follows the tradition they have known since a long time ago despite the true intentions and meaning of it forgotten. The Lottery taking place annually is like no other lottery, it paints the true picture of the horror that epitomizes the tradition that none of the villagers dare to question, despite it creating separation between gender and families and ruining

Throughout centuries, traditions and rituals have had the ability to control one’s behavior. In Shirley Jackson’s, “The Lottery”, she tells the reader of a small village. On the surface, this community may seem relatively normal. However, despite the picturesque appeal, this falsely serene village has a distinct deceitful flaw. On June 27th, every year, a lottery takes place.

She is horrified at the idea of her sister employing the quilts for “everyday use”; “Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they’d be in rags” (Walker, 320). This shows Maggie and her mother’s immodesty in their humble house in stark contrast to Dee’s ferocious Materialism. Maggie further intensifies this contrast by stating she did not require the quilts in order for her memories of Grandma Dee to remain intact; “I can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts”(Walker,

In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, the meaning of heritage is admired differently by a family of the same background. Dee who now has an education and understands her heritage feud with Mama and Maggie who appreciate their heritage. Although they all come from the same household, their differences get in the way when it comes to the most valuable items in the house; including the churn and dasher that Mama and Maggie still use daily, the handmade quilts made by Grandma Dee, and how Dee is blinded by the truth of her own heritage. Dee wants the churn and dasher for decoration purposes only stating “I can use the churn top as a centerpiece for the alcove table,” (Walker 272.)

These quilts are a ways of honoring her African American heritage and to be given these was very significant in their culture. For once Dee sees the historical background because of the stitching and material used, but doesn’t find any use in using them. Dee is going to try and convince her mom to let her keep the quilts, when Dee says, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” (Walker 721) and “You just will not understand. The point these quilts, these quilts!”

In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker the author conveys the meaning of heritage between two sisters Dee and Maggie. Both have chose to live their lives differently and depending on what heritage means to you, the reader can relate to one or the other. In Dee’s case she chooses to leave her home behind in order to go to school and make the best of herself sacrificing her family, in comparison to Maggie who chooses to stay close to home with her mother. The quilt, the family heirloom brings a concern of doubt towards the mother on what heritage means to her and easily decides whom to past it on too. Dee and Maggie are examples of heritage through their points of views, personality traits, and relationships.

Dee rushed in the house and begin to ramble. Dee’s attentions was captured by two old handmade quilts, made by Grandma Dee and quilted by the mother and her own sister. Dee wanted to take the quits with her into her new marriage. Dee believed that : “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” she says, “She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.”

Tradition is where society finds it’s comforts as humans are creatures of habit, but what happens when that tradition leads to imprisonment or worse? Comparing “The Lottery” and The Crucible, one start’s to notice common themes between the two works. Like in The Crucible the constant lies and deception that led to countless deaths, or in “The Lottery” the ignorance that tradition breeds, these two stories share common albeit, disturbing themes. Ignorance, tradition, and judgement three themes these stories shared and explored in numerous ways.

In the short story, “Everyday Use”, by Alice Walker, one can say that the quilts mentioned in the story symbolize heritage because the quilts were made by different generations of the family. Because of this, the reader can see that Dee views her heritage as something to be put up for display so people can admire her past, where as Maggie, views her heritage as something that is learned and teach to others. For example, when Mama tells Dee that she can’t have them, Dee says, “Well … What will you do with them? … ‘Hang them’ she said, like somebody used to never winning anything …”. As a general rule,

The Way of Humans Tradition and customs have been within our society and still happen today. Some traditions and custom are as long as before Christ Jesus was born. In the story, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson we see that tradition and customs are important to the people’s lives in the story. I will be discussing traditions and what ways can be used and how they can be forgotten. First, in the story “The Lottery” we see that their tradition of stoning is forgotten by the people.

These quilts are described as being made from swatches of clothes once worn or owned by at least a century’s worth of ancestors, making the worth of them in Mama and Maggies’ eyes exponential. Dee only wants them to be admired at face value not for the true use. Just as she cannot understand the legacy of her name, passed along through four generations, she does not understand the significance of the quilts. Dee only sees the value of the hand stitching and material used. Mama had promised the quilts to Maggie, and Maggie's reaction to the news that Dee wants them shows that Maggie has an emotional attachment to them as well.

The quilts have a different value for each daughter. In Maggie case, “it was Grandma Dee and Big Dee who taught her how to quilt”, her mother promised her the quilts after she was married, and because they were meant to be used and appreciated. Maggie hints that she thinks of the quilts as a reminder of her aunt and grandmother when she says, “I can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts” (321 Walker). Dee/Wangero sees the quilts as “priceless” (320 Walker). Before she went away for school, her mother offered her a quilt, but she said “they were old-fashioned, out of style” (320

Generation gap and heritage In the short story “Everyday Use”, Alice Walker has tried to show us the gap between our generations and the importance of our heritage. The story focuses on a small family consists of Mama, sister Maggie, and sister Dee. They all grew up together in the same house and was raised by their mother who was the father and the mother for them. There are conflicts and struggles that clearly shows the gap between different generations, the importance of our heritage, and the educational status.

Since the dawn of mankind, rivalries have been prominent. Whether it was over food, territory or a mate, it was indeed a conflict. In more modern times, however, rivalries over petty things are more prominent in the common person, especially in siblings. Though the siblings may be fighting over who gets what, the parents choose a resolution that is more than just an object. This solution is perfectly portrayed in Alice Walker’s, “Everyday Use.”

What is the first thing you do in the morning when you wake up? This answer may vary from person to person, but your answer is the beginning of your morning ritual. Rituals happen even if you don’t even realize it, think about it, you wake up turn on the coffee machine, then show, brush teeth, put on clothes and then you come back to the coffee machine that now has a nice cup of brewed coffee. You do that every day and it becomes your morning ritual, if you forget to turn on the coffee machine in the morning and you continue on with the rest of your ritual when you come out for that cup of coffee and it is not there, you cannot help but feel disappointed and feel like your day has been thrown off a bit. Buy why?