Identity In Alice Walker's Everyday Use

Dee the character in "Everyday use" she does not quite accept who she is or where she really came from. So decided to basically leave her old heritage and instead reclaimed her African American heritage. As for Dee's younger sister Maggie feel as her sister should not try to change her heritage and stay what she really is. Dee wanted her grandmother quilt to put it as art for people could see how artistic Dee really was. While Maggie wanted the quilt for when she gets married and promised to keep it. But when the quilt really belonged to Dee also known as Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo Maggie Dee's younger sister still stay as her original . Dee comes home with a new name, Wangero, and a new boyfriend; she claims that she wants to take the family heirlooms along as a part of claiming her true identity as an African …show more content…
Dee says that she has changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, because “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.” Dee’s friend has an unpronounceable name, which the mother finally reduces to “Hakim-a-barber.” As a Muslim, he will not eat the pork that she has prepared for their meal. Although Maggie is intimidated enough to surrender the beloved quilts to Dee, the mother feels a sudden surge of rebellion. Snatching the quilts from Dee, she offers her instead some of the machine-stitched ones, which Dee does not want. Dee turns to leave and in parting tells Maggie, “It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you’d never know it.” Maggie and her mother spend the rest of the evening sitting in the yard, dipping snuff and “just