Everyday Use by Alice Walker

Everyday Use

October 21st, 2015

Ida Zaeri (300175666)

Engl 1102

Words: 938

 “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker takes part in the United States of America in the late 1960’s early 1970's. This was a very confusing time for many African American’s as change appeared on the horizon. The protagonist is torn between her two daughters that represent such different cultures and times: the African American culture within their family for generations that Maggie is trying to preserve conflicting with the new age freedom and equality of African Americans that Dee associates with.

         The relationships between Dee, Maggie and their mother are more complicated than it seems at first. Mama is the narrator in this story and comes off as a strong, hardworking woman even though she admits to not being educated. Although she is not very affectionate she cares about her daughters very much. She struggles to send Dee away for school but wants what is best for her. Mama and Maggie live a simple life, one that was common for poor African American women of that time. Their lives were very different from her daughter Dee: Dee is “stylistic” and always strived for more for her own life. She wasn’t a caring big sister or a necessarily exceptional daughter. Dee wanted nice things in her life and although she said she is the one that understands her heritage she is ashamed of where she comes from. Maggie on the other hand didn’t want nice things but was young and naive  She contributed to her family history and accepts the inequality in her world.

        In Mama’s lifetime society had exceptionally changed. When Mama was a child her school was closed “in 1927 colored asked fewer questions than they do now” (66).  During that time racism and inequality was a common occurrence. African Americans struggled to separate their own culture since they did not have freedom and pride in their own heritage. Mama has been engrained with the feelings of separation and inequality: “with [her] head turned in whichever way is the farthest from [white men]”.  Whereas Dee is a product of the new social culture that believes in equality and “she would always look anyone in the eye. Hesitation was no part of her nature” (66). Mama and Dee represent the old and the new cultures of African Americans during that era.

        Dee’s education and feeling of self worth has also caused problems within her own family. The same discontent she feels towards white men she feels towards her own family and their culture. Dee changed her name to Wangero because she “couldn’t bear being named after the people who oppress her”(67). Dee’s name is part of her heritage, a part she chooses to ignore. She chooses to only focus on the negative aspects of her family history and forgets the good ways her culture impacts her and her family.

Dee along with many other African Americans during this time tried to connect with their African roots because of their difficult slavery history in America. By connecting with her African roots Dee is neglecting her own roots in America that are deeply engrained into Maggie and Mama. This new culture Dee associates herself with, along with her clothes and jewelry is empty. Dee sees items in the home that she sees as art rather than everyday items, she never was interested in contributing to her own home or any of the items within it. Whereas for Mama and Maggie these special items like the dasher and quilts represent the people that spent time making them, not the culture of inequality that it represents. Material items have sentimental value to many but they should represent the culture of the people that contributed to them not a fake culture created out of a distain for family history.