Mama's Quilts In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

Improved Essays
In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use,’’ there are three main women. These three women have a great love for memories and history. Each woman’s connection to their grandmother’s quilts suggests something. It suggests that females are instrumental in preserving and handing down a family’s history. Mama knows the story behind each piece of clothing, these clothing are used to make the quilts and she wants the history preserved and handed down. Mama holds a lot of history. History by having two girls and history of the family members before her, especially Grandma Dee. Mama had a great connection to the quilts because she was one of the women who quilted them. Grandma Dee helped pieced the quilts along with Mama and Big Dee. Big Dee and …show more content…
She loved them because they were made from her family. Most parts were actual clothing from her grandmother’s dresses. Some small pieces were from Wangeros grandfather named Jarrell and great Grandpa Ezra. These quilts were hand made, and Wangero loved them especially since they were not stitched by man and its machine. Some of the pieces, like the lavender ones were from old clothes her mother handed down to her. Wangero was furious when Mama said, ‘’ I promised to give them quilts to Maggie, for when she married John Thomas. Speaking angry most likely, wangero said “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” Which is not true but Wangero seemed as if she truly wanted the quilts. Mentioning to Mama that these quilts are priceless. To me She would actually treasure these quilts forever. Wangero even said after Mama asked her what would she do with the quilts; Dee’s response was simply to hang them. Seems like Dee wanted to have a little family history at her place. Even though Mama tried to give Dee a quilt way back when she was going away to college. I guess back then that was to old fashion for her and out of …show more content…
Either by its creation, history, and or memory. Mama had one of the best ones. She actually made them both along with Big Dee. The Lone Star pattern quilt and the Walk Around the Mountain quilt. She got to be the memory, history, and creator of these magnificent quilts. Sharing such memory would last with her, for the rest of her life. Mama got to experience by hand how to quilt along with Maggie. Maggie is the millennium child. Maggie’s great mind such as an ancient elephant, will do wonders with the skills she acquired. Maggie seems smart and loveable. Although she is quit and nice that is not always a bad thing. It seems like Maggie likes the simple things in life and wouldn’t get upset very much. You also notice when Maggie was very happy by smiling after mamma gave her the quilts. Dee seemed like a snob from the way they talked about her sometimes in the story. Mama used to think Dee hated Maggie, but that was before they raised the money, the church and Mama. They sent Dee to Augusta to school. Dee just liked nice things. I feel as Dee got older she wanted more family history with her. So, she wanted the quilts Grandma Dee had pieced up. Dee wanted to preserve them by hanging them and not putting the quilts to use. She did not want them to get used, she wanted them to be appreciated. I do see and now believe, that females are instrumental in preserving and handing down a family’s

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