Dee believes they will be a suitable art piece in her apartment that she can show off to her friends under the assumption that she was a part of this major historical struggle. Mama declines and states that the importance of these quilts has nothing to do with the oppression of their people but it’s family value. Mama wants the quilts to go to Maggie who understands the value of family tradition. Dee objects because her education has put value on these quilts, not family value but monetary. The most important line in this story is where Dee tells Mama that “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” she said. “She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” (Walker 195) It’s at this point in the story where both perspectives are clear. With Mama we have a hard working individual who made something from nothing and then we have Dee who has been blinded by her education and values only the idea of heritage but not its actual tradition. Here Dee tells Mama that she doesn’t understand her own heritage, referring to her lack of education, and even extends her insults to her sister Maggie where as stated before she should “make something of herself.
Dee believes they will be a suitable art piece in her apartment that she can show off to her friends under the assumption that she was a part of this major historical struggle. Mama declines and states that the importance of these quilts has nothing to do with the oppression of their people but it’s family value. Mama wants the quilts to go to Maggie who understands the value of family tradition. Dee objects because her education has put value on these quilts, not family value but monetary. The most important line in this story is where Dee tells Mama that “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” she said. “She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” (Walker 195) It’s at this point in the story where both perspectives are clear. With Mama we have a hard working individual who made something from nothing and then we have Dee who has been blinded by her education and values only the idea of heritage but not its actual tradition. Here Dee tells Mama that she doesn’t understand her own heritage, referring to her lack of education, and even extends her insults to her sister Maggie where as stated before she should “make something of herself.