Davonte Worthy
Dr.VanBergen
English 1102-1Cm
02 February 2016
Three Women
In the short story “Everyday Use” Alice Walker emphasizes the aspect of individuality. The story concentrates on the lives of a mother and her two daughters, Dee and Maggie. Although Mama is a good mother, she is poor and uneducated and has a strong personality. Maggie is shy and insecure, while Dee is arrogant and spoiled. Although both girls are raised by the same mother, they have distinctly different personalities, which results in a division between the daughters.
Mama, the narrator of Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” is loving and caring when it comes to her daughters. She worked hard to raise her daughters alone, rejecting the traditional role of a man. Mama describes …show more content…
Her choice to leave home causes a rift within the family. Dee arrives wearing a stylish dress that is brightly colored. Mama describes it as, “A dress so loud it hurts her eyes” (339).She is wearing different types of expensive jewelry to show that she is making it on her own. Dee wants to show that she is strong and does not require anyone to make her life complete, “She is determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts” (338). She likes having a feeling of power and superiority over others. Dee envisions herself as someone of a higher class who is above her family and her past. Dee announces that she is changing her name. She says, “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me” (340). This is another example of how she distances herself from her family. During her visit she is looking around when, she spots two handmade quilts that contain scraps of cloths dating back to her family’s past. Dee envisions the quilts hanging on her walls. To her surprise Mama has promised them to Maggie. Dee becomes upset, because she feels that Maggie will not preserve them the way they should. She says, “Maggie would be backwards enough to put them to everyday use” (342). Dee, values the quilts because they represent her African heritage, not because of the real meaning behind what they represent. In contrast, her mother and sister value them because of their family
Dr.VanBergen
English 1102-1Cm
02 February 2016
Three Women
In the short story “Everyday Use” Alice Walker emphasizes the aspect of individuality. The story concentrates on the lives of a mother and her two daughters, Dee and Maggie. Although Mama is a good mother, she is poor and uneducated and has a strong personality. Maggie is shy and insecure, while Dee is arrogant and spoiled. Although both girls are raised by the same mother, they have distinctly different personalities, which results in a division between the daughters.
Mama, the narrator of Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” is loving and caring when it comes to her daughters. She worked hard to raise her daughters alone, rejecting the traditional role of a man. Mama describes …show more content…
Her choice to leave home causes a rift within the family. Dee arrives wearing a stylish dress that is brightly colored. Mama describes it as, “A dress so loud it hurts her eyes” (339).She is wearing different types of expensive jewelry to show that she is making it on her own. Dee wants to show that she is strong and does not require anyone to make her life complete, “She is determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts” (338). She likes having a feeling of power and superiority over others. Dee envisions herself as someone of a higher class who is above her family and her past. Dee announces that she is changing her name. She says, “I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me” (340). This is another example of how she distances herself from her family. During her visit she is looking around when, she spots two handmade quilts that contain scraps of cloths dating back to her family’s past. Dee envisions the quilts hanging on her walls. To her surprise Mama has promised them to Maggie. Dee becomes upset, because she feels that Maggie will not preserve them the way they should. She says, “Maggie would be backwards enough to put them to everyday use” (342). Dee, values the quilts because they represent her African heritage, not because of the real meaning behind what they represent. In contrast, her mother and sister value them because of their family