Heritage is something that is handed down from our ancestors, it is a tradition. In the short story, Everyday Use: For Your Grandmama, Maggie and Dee view these traditions in extraordinarily different ways. In order to understand their views, we must understand the characters. Maggie, the sister of Dee, is a nervous, uneducated young black woman. Because of a past tragedy she views herself as ugly. She never received the same education her sister, but I am not sure she truly wanted it. Although she may be maladjusted, Maggie seems to be sympathetic and generous. Maggie is sheltered from the outside world, and because of that she has not been able to find herself as an individual. Dee on the other hand is quite the opposite. From a young
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She senses herself as superior to both her sister and momma, and her selfish ways are portrayed throughout the story. Understanding the differences between these two women will allow us to understand more clearly the difference in attitude toward the family, which is quite different. Maggie views the family heritage as something to be proud of. She remembers stories and loved ones. She was willing to learn the homemaking skills and holds these traditions close to her heart. Dee’s attitude on the other hand, viewed family tradition as something to put on display. She feels embarrassed of how she was brought up, not even remembering the true meaning behind stories or loved ones. Dee wasn’t interested in her family heritage, she was too caught up in the history of her race and …show more content…
She clearly remembers her loved ones. In the story, Hakim the barber was asking if the dash was whittled by Uncle Buddy, but Maggie clearly remembers that it was whittled by Aunt Dee’s first husband Henry, but he was nicknamed Stash. Maggie was more than eager to learn family traditions such as quilting as she spent many days quilting with her grandmama. This is evident to us, as in the story, Maggie’s momma talks about how if the quilts turn into rags, Maggie could always make more since she knew how to quilt. Quilting just wasn’t a hobby for her, this was part of her tradition, and she holds these traditions close to her. When her sister Dee wanted to take these quilts she became upset. In the story when Dee asks for these quilts, Momma heard “something fall in the kitchen, and a minute later the kitchen door slam.” (Walker, 1973, p. 259). Maggie was upset that her sister waned these quilts. How could her sister just take these items without having the memory of the loved ones with it? Maggie loved her family and their traditions she was not embarrassed of her history and planned on continuing on the
She senses herself as superior to both her sister and momma, and her selfish ways are portrayed throughout the story. Understanding the differences between these two women will allow us to understand more clearly the difference in attitude toward the family, which is quite different. Maggie views the family heritage as something to be proud of. She remembers stories and loved ones. She was willing to learn the homemaking skills and holds these traditions close to her heart. Dee’s attitude on the other hand, viewed family tradition as something to put on display. She feels embarrassed of how she was brought up, not even remembering the true meaning behind stories or loved ones. Dee wasn’t interested in her family heritage, she was too caught up in the history of her race and …show more content…
She clearly remembers her loved ones. In the story, Hakim the barber was asking if the dash was whittled by Uncle Buddy, but Maggie clearly remembers that it was whittled by Aunt Dee’s first husband Henry, but he was nicknamed Stash. Maggie was more than eager to learn family traditions such as quilting as she spent many days quilting with her grandmama. This is evident to us, as in the story, Maggie’s momma talks about how if the quilts turn into rags, Maggie could always make more since she knew how to quilt. Quilting just wasn’t a hobby for her, this was part of her tradition, and she holds these traditions close to her. When her sister Dee wanted to take these quilts she became upset. In the story when Dee asks for these quilts, Momma heard “something fall in the kitchen, and a minute later the kitchen door slam.” (Walker, 1973, p. 259). Maggie was upset that her sister waned these quilts. How could her sister just take these items without having the memory of the loved ones with it? Maggie loved her family and their traditions she was not embarrassed of her history and planned on continuing on the