Alice Walker's Heritage

Few people would argue that heritage is an integral part of one’s identity, and it is what determines one’s language, culture, values, physical characteristics, and more. Heritage is a reoccurring theme in Alice Walker’s short story, “Everyday Use.” The story is likely set in either the 60’s or 70’s, and the plot revolves around an African-American girl, Dee, who returns from college to visit her sister, Maggie, and mother (referred to as “Mama”). As the events of the story unfold, issues relating to the integrity of Dee’s heritage arise, and in the end, Dee brashly tells her mother and sister that they do not understand their heritage. In “Everyday Use,” Walker reveals that Dee does not appreciate her true heritage multiple times by embracing a faux African-Muslim identity, changing her name, and spurning her family’s lifestyle. …show more content…
Clothes can say a great deal about a person, and what one wears can heavily impact the impression he or she has on others. At the beginning of the story when Dee first arrives at her family’s house, she is wearing a long, ostentatious yellow and orange dress. She accompanies her bright garment with a pair of large, golden earrings and numerous loud bracelets. Furthermore, Mama continues to state that Dee’s hair is styled so it “stands straight like the wool of a sheep” (269). Understandably, Mama and Maggie are initially taken aback by Dee’s change of appearance. While Walker does not directly state it, one can easily interpret that the clothes are meant to resemble traditional African attire. Dee believes that by dressing like this, she is celebrating her African heritage. However, this glamorized African garb does not reflect Dee’s actual African-American identity, and by doing that, she is rejecting her true