The Concept Of Heritage In Alice Walker's Everyday Use
Heritage
In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”, Walker dramatizes the “use and misuse of the concept of heritage”. (Christian). The three main characters each have their own meaning of what heritage means to them. Some individuals embrace and build upon their heritage. However, others may choose to preserve it and move in a different direction. First, there is Dee. She sees heritage as an inferior stepping-stone. Dee returns home after being away at school with a whole new appearance. Dee is wearing a long, extremely colorful dress. The narrator in Walker’s story states that the dress is so loud it hurts her eyes. The first thing that Dee tells her mother is that she has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. Her mother is a strong, hard-working woman that has done what she could to raise her children. However, as strong as her mother is, this information hurts her feelings. Wangero tells her that Dee is dead, that she could not bear it any longer being named after people who oppress her. Wangero (Dee) takes numerous pictures of her mother and sister making sure the house she considers dilapidated is in the background. Wangero rudely demands the butter urn, dasher, and some quilts. Dee wants several items to build …show more content…
The story starts shifting when Dee tells her mother she has changed her name. Near the end, the mother realized that Dee is a fantasy child who is still frivolously careless of other peoples’ lives. (Baker, Pierce-Baker). Mama finally gains increasing emotional distance from Dee and is ultimately able to tell her “no.” (Hirsch). Mama snatches the quilts from Dee and gives them to Maggie, which makes Maggie smile sincerely. Mama knows that Maggie will truly appreciate and use the quilts instead of hanging them as a wall mounting as a symbol of a “simple upbringing”. Mama realizes that Maggie has had a better understanding of the meaning of heritage from the very
In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”, Walker dramatizes the “use and misuse of the concept of heritage”. (Christian). The three main characters each have their own meaning of what heritage means to them. Some individuals embrace and build upon their heritage. However, others may choose to preserve it and move in a different direction. First, there is Dee. She sees heritage as an inferior stepping-stone. Dee returns home after being away at school with a whole new appearance. Dee is wearing a long, extremely colorful dress. The narrator in Walker’s story states that the dress is so loud it hurts her eyes. The first thing that Dee tells her mother is that she has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo. Her mother is a strong, hard-working woman that has done what she could to raise her children. However, as strong as her mother is, this information hurts her feelings. Wangero tells her that Dee is dead, that she could not bear it any longer being named after people who oppress her. Wangero (Dee) takes numerous pictures of her mother and sister making sure the house she considers dilapidated is in the background. Wangero rudely demands the butter urn, dasher, and some quilts. Dee wants several items to build …show more content…
The story starts shifting when Dee tells her mother she has changed her name. Near the end, the mother realized that Dee is a fantasy child who is still frivolously careless of other peoples’ lives. (Baker, Pierce-Baker). Mama finally gains increasing emotional distance from Dee and is ultimately able to tell her “no.” (Hirsch). Mama snatches the quilts from Dee and gives them to Maggie, which makes Maggie smile sincerely. Mama knows that Maggie will truly appreciate and use the quilts instead of hanging them as a wall mounting as a symbol of a “simple upbringing”. Mama realizes that Maggie has had a better understanding of the meaning of heritage from the very