Compare And Contrast Womanism In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

Author Alice Walker, American author and feminist; or perhaps better known as a ‘womanist’, portrayed the varying aspects of her own life through the characters she detailed in “Everyday Use”. It can be argued that each character represents a different time in her life. At a young age she was timid and self conscious similar to Maggie, which she then divests as she becomes a confident young woman like Dee. Walker shared an odd, fragmented relationship with her own daughter, almost parallel to the one shared between Dee and the mother in the story. Many of the differences between the two stem from conflicting beliefs and differing preferences. This story is not one that is written merely to entertain an audience. It is written as an emotional …show more content…
The accident was caused and inflicted on her by a sibling. As a result of the shooting an obvious and unconcealable scar surfaced across her eye. This developement lead to an inordinate amount of bullying from her classmates; something that would likely be seen today in this day and age. She struggled to overcome the judgement and ridicule and for a time lived a secluded and hesitant life, often feeling like she was “sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice” (Walker 316). This is similar to the way Maggie acts in the story. Maggie acted almost parallelly when dealing with her own appearance, but was at peace with herself and her family 's traditions. Dee was the one who was often looked at as perfect and flawless, but in reality she had some soul searching to do. In both of these ways these characters were polar opposites. While Maggie was shy about what she wanted and believed, Alice grew to be very active and forceful when expressing her beliefs. This desire to be heard lead to her becoming a self-proclaimed ‘womanist’, primarily advocating issues within African American communities and awareness towards abusive relationships. I believe that Maggie is a representation of Alice as a quiet, self aware child trapped in the shadow of an older …show more content…
I think that Walker is recollecting her own patchy, broken relationship with her daughter in real life. Mama felt distant and unfamiliar with Dee when she returned home. As though she were a completely different person. I believe this can be connected to and applied to Walker’s own life. Dee’s desire to “embrace her culture” and live up to the standards set by her family 's past, causes her to look sight over what family is truly about. Alice’s daughter grew up under her mother’s strong opinions and standards. Alice was very opinionated and would always let her voice be heard. Her daughter was caught in that and tried to keep up, but maybe did not always agree with her mother. These differing views may have lead to a sort of estrangement between the two. This is the whole foundation this story is based