Shaping Self Identity

From the fashionable and expensive clothing that the character Dee in Alice Walker’s "Everyday Use" wears, Dee seems to come off as a person of great value and understanding. It may seem that at first glance, Dee’s mother and sister, in their tin-roof house and shabby clothing, are of little or no worth in "Everyday Use.” However, Walker creates these two sides of polar opposite characters, whose personalities and understanding of heritage show the many differences on material value and culture. Walker clearly identifies that there are outside social forces that shape the identity of a person, and actually can cause a change in someone that might never have occurred if they weren’t afflicted by these forces. The desire to fit in and represent African American pride has Dee following these forces and ignoring her own family’s heritage.

Sociologists believe that there are four social aspects that shape peoples identity; they are friends, family, media, and schools. (Andersen 69) Each of these aspects appears in Walkers short story changing the way Dee sees the world. The media and school are not as heavily portrayed in the text as the other two social aspects are; however, they are still represented.

Education was obviously the next step for Dee. She’s the most intelligent woman in the family and its no surprise that she went off to a school where she would meet people that could offer her a different view on life. Being in a new environment and surroundings one expected to change and grow, and with new people come new culture and a means for change. Mama states that “Dee wanted nice things.” (Walker 10) Education gives the means to acquire them, and if Dee would have stayed behind and took the roles of Mama, and Maggie she would never be happy.

The media creates this ideal of how a family should be. One of the first scenes of the short story has the mother dreaming about what it would be like if Dee and she were on TV together. As clichÐ"© as this sounds she pictures them as happy as ever. In Mama’s vision Dee “pins on my dress a large orchid, even though she has told me once that she thinks orchids are tacky flowers.” (Walker 4) Although Dee hates orchids she would pin one on her mother because it is what the media is telling her to do. Although not directly stated in the text, this time period shows much of how the media could have influenced Dee. “Everyday Use” is set in the late sixties when the struggle to define personal identities for blacks was in great effect. The term “negro” had been recently removed from the vocabulary, and had been replaced with “black.” Many blacks wanted to rediscover their African roots, and were ready to reject their American heritage, which is exactly what Dee was doing. Many of the narratives of this time spoke disapprovingly about their “Uncle Tom” ancestors and adopted certain aspects of African culture in their speech and dress. Dee was just another in the crowd wanting to represent the strong African traditions.

The profound change in Dee’s speech and dress may be attributed to her new boyfriend. As soon as she appeared out of the car, her self-presence was completely different. The first word she spoke was of African decent, and she continued with this speech change announcing her new name, “Not вЂ?Dee.’ Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo!” (Walker 20) At the same time she is speaking with African dialect she introduces her boyfriend with a similar name obviously of African decent. It is not hard to construct that it is because of Asalamalakim that her dress and name has changed so drastically. Very rarely are two people with completely different cultural backgrounds linked together, so she may have changed her name and apparel in fear of losing another man. It is mentioned and even mocked that Dee had little to no friends, and the one boy she was interested in left her for more “flashy people.” The narrative only mentioned a short paragraph of this, but this idea could hold more value as to why Dee wanted to change. She wanted to become those flashy people that everyone wanted to be. She wants the objects that are a part of her heritage to show that she is just as well off as anyone. As soon as the two arrive, she starts taking pictures of the house, maybe because of its beauty, or really to show where she came from and compare it to what she has now.

The other three aspects, friends, media, and school, all tie into the biggest identity shaper, family. The biggest influence on forming self-identity comes from the people that one spends the most time with. (Andersen 70) Ones families’ traditions and values usually rub off on the children, unless the child is filled with resentment. As strong as a person her mother believed Dee to be she never wanted a thing to do with her family, the people who oppress her Mama’s descriptions of Dee portray her as this type of individual:

“Dee, though.