Analyzing Everyday Use By Alice Walker
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This document provides context and summarizes the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker. It discusses Walker's biography and background, the title and themes of the story, character analyses of Mama, Maggie, and Dee, and a brief plot summary. The document analyzes how aspects of Walker's own life experiences influenced characters and themes in the story. It explores the conflicts between tradition and progress, appreciation of heritage, and the different perspectives of the characters.
Analyzing Everyday Use By Alice Walker
- 1. 1 Analysing ‘Everyday Use’ by Alice Walker Rawezh Ibrahim-ELT December,2014 Alice Walker’s Biography Alice Walker was born on February 9, 1944 in Putnam County, Georgia. She is a novelist, poet and activist. She is the youngest child in her family. She was blinded in her right eye by a BB gun pellet while playing with her brother, in the summer of 1952. This accident reflects in ‘Everyday Use’ clearly. The character of ‘Maggie’ represents her life indirectly. ‘Maggie’ has burnt in a house fire. Alice make a relation between her life and this character in the short story. Walker spends her childhood in a racist environment. Her mother helped her too much and paid her school fee. She was paid seventeen dollars per a week. Alice was supported by her mother to go to college. Walker becomes a social worker and teacher, after graduating in 1965. Alice has written the critically acclaimed novel ‘The Colour Purple’ in 1982. She has won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In addition to, ‘Everyday Use’ can be found in many popular anthologies of American fiction and poetry. She continues to be a prominent social and political activist. Alice Walker is still alive and lives in America. The title The title designates to the quilts, however, metaphorically refers to the basic conflict in the story. Literally, the phrase ‘Everyday Use’ refers to how Mama wants the quilts to be used. To Mama, the quilts are useful objects, rather than as heritage to be hung up and looked at. The title shows the whole conflict in the short story. It refers to the conflict between the old-fashioned ‘everyday’ type of people like the mother and people like Wangero who has all these new ideas.
- 2. 2 The everyday people are down to earth and practical, the others are more interested in ideas and philosophical statements. Using quilting is a metaphor for the creative legacy that African Americans inherited from their maternal ancestors changed the way we define art, women's culture, and African American lives. By putting African American women's voices at the centre of the narrative for the first time, ‘Everyday Use’ anticipated the focus of an entire generation of black women writers. Dee declaims her past and forms a new identity for herself. On the other hand, Maggie accepts her past. She does not move to change her circumstance. For this reason, the implication of the title appears. Whereas it means things that are cherished and passed down from one generation to another are meant to be used every day. It is senseless to keep them and show as the competition prizes. The Author’s Relation with Maggie Alice Walker ties the story into many aspects of her life. Maggie’s character is a good example. Maggie was burnt in a house fire as a child and left with scars on her arms and legs. Alice was blinded in one eye after an accident with a BB gun. Both of them feel strange with the people surround them after their accidents. Maggie's mother was a farmer. Alice's parents were sharecroppers. Maggie appreciates her heritage and what it meant. Alice Walker is a civil rights activist sticking up for her heritage every day. It can be said that the author describes her life in different words throughout the short story. Plot Mama’s daughter, Dee, is about to come, so Mama waits her in the yard. Mama, the narrator, knows that her other daughter, Maggi, is jealous. She cannot stand with the fact that Dee’s life is better than hers. In this regard, Mama thinks about how a girl spoil everything and embrace her parents a television program while they have helped her to get success. Sometimes, Mama sees the same scenario
- 3. 3 with her daughters. She is uncomfortable since Dee has a white man in her mind. However, Dee is has confidence more than her mother expects. While Mama is thinking about such terrible imaginations in the yard, Maggie is appearing very slowly with lifting her feet off carefully. Here, Mama remembers the moment when her house burnt about ten years ago and Maggie had burnt severely. At that time, Dee was outside and watched the accident. Mama believed that Dee hated Maggie until she made some money and sent her to school in Augusta. Mama has never visited Dee’s school after second grade. Maggie is not completely illiterate but she can just read a few. Mama is really looking forwards to Maggie’s marriage to John Thomas so that she will be able to sing hymns peacefully. At last, Dee arrives and Mama tries to prevent Maggie to run back to the house. Hakim-a-barber, Dee’s boyfriend, comes with her. Mama does not like of the presence of any strange man in the house and Dee’s clothes. Hakim-a-barber says ‘Hello!’ to Mama and tries to cuddle Maggie but she suddenly moves back. After that, Dee takes some pictures of Mama and Maggie in front of the house. Her boyfriend attempts to shake hand with Maggie. Dee tells her mother that she has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo to protest being named after the people who have oppressed her. Mama struggles with the pronunciation of Dee’s new African name. Finally, Mama learns how utter her name but she thinks that Hakim must be related to the Muslims who live down the road. Mama wonders whether Hakim and Dee are married or not. They sit down to eat and Hakim says that he does not eat collard greens or poke. Dee, however, eats it well. Dee curiously run to bring the quilts in her mother’s bedroom. Then, she asks Mama to give her. Mama hears that Maggie drops something and slams the door. Mama suggests that Dee take other quilts, but Dee insists, wanting the ones hand-stitched by her grandmother. Mama exposes that she had promised Maggie
- 4. 4 the quilts. Dee says that the invaluable quilts will be wrecked. Mama says that Maggie knows how to quilt and can make more. Maggie changes her mind and offers Dee the quilts. When Mama looks at Maggie, she feels strange as if she feels in the church. Then, she hugs Maggie and snatches the quilts out of Dee’s hands, and places them in Maggie’s lap. She asks Dee to take one or two other quilts not the one the Maggie wants. As Dee and Hakim-a-barber leave, Dee informs Mama that Mama does not understand her own heritage. Kissing Maggie, Dee tells her to try and improve herself and that it’s a new day for black Americans. Mama and Maggie watch the car drive off, then sit in the quiet of the yard until bedtime. Characters Mama Mama is the narrator of the story. She is a lovely character in the story. Mama sometimes worries about her daughters, Dee and Maggie. Through her monologues, the reader can understand her pure inner mind and her unconditional love to her daughters. She is critical about judging upon her daughters. Mama feels upset about Dee’s education, sophistication and superiority that Dee has acquired over years. She imagines about unifying with Dee on a television talk show and about Dee uttering appreciation to Mama for all Mama has done for her. This brief fantasy reveals the distance between the two and how underappreciated Mama feels. Although, she has such day dreams, she remains as a practical woman with referring to some allusions in story. Mama rejects the traditional gender role when Dee changes her name to an African one ‘Wangero’ since she has worked to her daughters to raise them. She is proud of her hardy nature and ability to butcher hogs and milk cows. Mama appears that she does not understand Dee’s life and her view toward Dee makes
- 5. 5 her suspicion toward Dee. Hence, Dee considers her new personality as liberating, whereas Mama sees it as a rejection of her family and her origins. Maggie Maggie appears as the symbol of cleanliness in the short story, although, she seems to behave badly and as a spoiled child by emotional needs. In her childhood age, she was terribly burnt and her face appears ugly. So this accident is a major factor to hide her real nature and generosity. She lives with Mama at home and has not relation with the outside world. Since she is always kept by Mama, she suffers from shyness and lack of education. Although Mama mentions that Maggie is going to marry John Thomas, it is doubtful that even a marriage will help Maggie become a strong and clearly defined individual. Her relationship as a sister with Dee is not good. She is jealous and awe. Mama always thinks about how Maggie sees her sister, Dee, in a way she believes that Dee has an easy life while she herself has not such an easy life. Once Maggie reveals the extent of her innermost desires is when Dee attempts to take the quilts that Mama had promised to Maggie. As a reaction to this, Maggie drops plates and slims the door. Then, she tries to win Dee’s favour by giving up the quilts, however, her unwillingness to do so stirs pity and anger in Mama. Dee Dee is another daughter of Mama-the narrator. She is the figure of wariness and respect in the family. She wants to have another strong personality and sense of herself. Her critical nature affects Mama and Maggie, although, Mama has daydreams about the ruin of the television program. On the other hand, she does not try too much to win Maggie’s and her mother’s approval. Her nature has affected to them. Mama feels Dee’s desire for knowledge as a provocation, a self-important act through which she states her dominance over her mother and sister. Dee is also portrayed as superior, owning her promise to visit Mama and
- 6. 6 Maggie no matter what ramshackle shelter they decide to live. Dee, here, appears like those individuals who decline the social and cultural heritages in the society. Such people desire to tie themselves to an idealized Africa instead of to the lessons and severe realities that categorized the black experience in America. Dee is fascinated by their rural realism, snapping photographs as though they are subjects of a documentary, and in doing so effectively cuts herself off from her family. Instead of honouring and embracing her roots, Dee looks down on her surroundings, believing herself to be above them. Problem of the Story The short story shows the problem acceptance. Acceptance is a universal idea experienced in everyday life and in many social situations. For instance, when two or more people come together, ideas and opinions can clash and acceptance can become a problem. The situations, which is presented in ‘Everyday Use’, represents the idea of acceptance while revealing an aspect of the human condition. Acceptance is a problem between Dee and her mother. The mother first describes a dream of hers in which she and Dee are reunited on a TV show. She describes a situation in which Dee would want the mother's appearance to be different. For example, the mother states: "I am the way my daughter would want me to be: a hundred pounds lighter, my skin like an uncooked barley pancake". In this regard, there exist different perspective about 'things'. To Maggie, things should be valuable and have purpose, whereas Dee believes that things should be accumulated and preserved but not used. Conflict Man VS Self The main conflict in the story is the mother’s choice-the narrator. She should treat contrarily with her two different daughters since they have dissimilar personalities and characters. The title ‘Everyday Use’ shows the central conflict.
- 7. 7 It refers to Maggie’s and Dee’s opinions toward using the quilts and other family heirlooms. The girls have a kind of competitions to get their mother’s love and acceptance. The quilt is a symbol of the mother's love and acceptance of her children and of the value that is placed on the relationship. What forces the mother to have an inner conflict is her daughters. Dee is intelligent, has gone off to college and has become successful. Her mother is very proud of her and often brags about the daughter's accomplishments. She lives in a distant city. The daughter comes home for a visit. Mama is enthusiastic to see her, although, she is still afraid of Maggie may not treat well with Dee. In contrast to this, Maggie is shy and simple. She was badly burned as a child and has scars over her arms and legs. She lives with her mother and is very timid around her older sister. The girl does not have much of a sense of self-worth and is like a dot on the rug when compared to her sister. She is nervous about her sister's visit because it reflects who she isn't. Dee has been able to find a man to get married with while Maggie cannot do so. Her behaviour is abnormal. Man VS Man Dee's desire to take the quilts arises conflict with her sister, Maggie. She wants to hang them up and show them. Mama, the narrator, wants to give the quilts to Maggie, though. Dee thinks giving the quilt to Maggie is not a good idea. She thinks that the quilts need to be displayed only. In this regard, she rejects Maggie’s idea. What Maggie is going to do with the quilts is use them to keep her warm; after all, for all their sentimental value, it is still a good quilt. Dee with her boyfriend, Hakim-a-barber, visits her mother and sees the quilt. It is old but beautiful. It is a symbol of the family heritage in her eyes, but it is also a symbol of materialism. She asks her mother for the quilt so that she can hang it in her home as a decoration. Her mother feels hesitation because she has promised Maggie to give her the quilt. Maggie wants to use the quilt for ‘Everyday Use’ and this idea really bothers Dee.
- 8. 8 Themes The Meaning of Heritage Dee declines her real heritage and constructs a new heritage for herself. She cannot stand even with her name and changes to an African one, Wangero, that represents African heritage. However, she knows a little about Africa, what she considers her true heritage is actually empty and false. In addition, she considers her legacy as dead and something happened in the past. To her, it is non-sense to follow the traditional customs. In this regard, Dee likes to hang up and show the quilt in her house. She does not see it as a heritage. The quilt should not be kept as a charismatic stuff at home. She disagree with Mama about the idea of heritages. She misunderstands the vital proofs about how the quilt was made and what materials were used to sew it. Later, Mama comprehends that Maggie, not Dee, should have the quilt, because Maggie will respect them by using them in the way they were intended to be used. Family In the beginning of the story, Alice Walker starts with the scene that Mama has a daydream about reuniting with her daughter on a television program. It is a remark to tell us about family relationship. In fact, it may tell the reader more than what he expects. The family has three members in which each of them has a different view toward the quilt as well as the heritages. Dee is ready to reject her past and her family legacy. She is the source of Mama’s daydreams. On other hand, Maggie has a different view about the quilt. She thinks that it should be respected as the family legacy. Mam promises to give her the quilt but Dee insists to have it. So the story is rife with family conflict way before the big blowout quilt scene at the end. By listening to the narrator in the beginning, the reader gets an idea of how difficult her relationship with her daughter Dee has been. In addition to that, the fact that it is told that Maggie looks at her sister
- 9. 9 with ‘a mixture of envy and awe’. When Dee finally shows up, there is definitely some weird, albeit subtle, tension as she begins her photo shoot and announces her big name change to her mother and sister. Tone of the Story Mama is thinking over a lot of stuff, much of which has already taken place. At the beginning, everything that Mama looks at reminds her of what happened in past effectively. While Maggie comes into the yard, for instance, the sight of her prompts the narrator to think about the fire at their first home and its impact on her children, which then leads her to meditate on Dee’s relationship with Maggie. The tone appears to be humanistic since the author shows Mama’s view toward her daughters. Alice Walker tells the reader how much the narrator worries toward them. She wants to give them best. In addition t, the tone changes to proud. Dee is proud of herself since she has attended college and has found a boyfriend. In contrast, Maggie has not have this chance. Personal Values In the short story, the author portrays in her typical writing style the life and struggles of black women. Influenced by the political activism at that time, these women are searching for individual identities. It is possible to say that Alice Walker wants to convey that culture and heritage are neither name changes nor different hair. They are related to each other. They are not something to be adopted for the sake of a trend but to be taught from one generation to the next. This concept of tradition is exemplified through the quilts, the common symbol for heritage, because ‘Black women can survive only by recovering the rich heritage of their ancestors’. In the story, both the mother and Maggie know how to quilt and are aware that quilts, in order to be kept alive, must be put to Everyday Use.