The short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker analyzes the complex relationships found between and among family members, more specifically between two sisters and their mother. The two sisters, Maggie and Dee, come from an African American heritage. The mother of the two sisters is seeing how each of her daughters will preserve their heritage by their actions. Not only through their actions will the mother see but also by their personalities and ideas concerning their heritage. The mother used to think that Dee hated Maggie until Dee was sent to Augusta Georgia, the second largest city in the state home of Augusta State University, and also of Paine College. With Dee having an education, one can see the change of Dee with her actions and personality. This is where in the story one can see the change happen
…show more content…
Dee or Wangero, her new adopted African name, comes down the stairs and tells them that ‘Dee’ is dead due to the fact she could not “bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.” (par. 25). Dee starts to question her trace of name to the lineage of where it originated from and the mother traced her name back to the Civil War. Dee wanted her named to be changed so she changed it. When Dee finds the quilts that Grandma Dee knitted she wanted them because they were priceless. Dee complains to her mother that “Maggie would be backwards enough to put them to everyday use.” (par. 65). Dee only wanted the quilts for the looks but Maggie was going to have them as something to remember her grandmother by, but Maggie gave them to Dee because Maggie “can remember Grandma Dee without the quilts.” (par. 74). But, the mother snatched the quilts out of Dee’s hands and gave them to Maggie because she knows that she would preserve the family heritage
Dee or Wangero, her new adopted African name, comes down the stairs and tells them that ‘Dee’ is dead due to the fact she could not “bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me.” (par. 25). Dee starts to question her trace of name to the lineage of where it originated from and the mother traced her name back to the Civil War. Dee wanted her named to be changed so she changed it. When Dee finds the quilts that Grandma Dee knitted she wanted them because they were priceless. Dee complains to her mother that “Maggie would be backwards enough to put them to everyday use.” (par. 65). Dee only wanted the quilts for the looks but Maggie was going to have them as something to remember her grandmother by, but Maggie gave them to Dee because Maggie “can remember Grandma Dee without the quilts.” (par. 74). But, the mother snatched the quilts out of Dee’s hands and gave them to Maggie because she knows that she would preserve the family heritage