Introduction
The short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is a multilayered piece of writing, but its central idea revolves around the problem of Afro-American heritage. The author portrays the conflict between Mrs. Johnson â the narrator – and her younger daughter Maggie on the one side and Mrs. Johnson’s older daughter Dee – on the other. At the heart of the dispute lies the different perception of how one should appreciate his/her historical roots. In this regard, the current essay seeks to analyze what are the differences between Maggie’s/Mrs. Johnson’s and Wangero’s views on heritage. Additionally, this paper tries to explain the reasons why Dee’s attitudes contrast with those of other family members.
The Metaphor Behind Name Change
As soon as Dee arrives at her mother’s house, the reader understands that there is something different about Mrs. Johnson’s older daughter. She greets her family members with the phrase “Wa-su-zo-Tean-o!” which means “good morning” in one of the Ugandan languages (Elmore 25). Minutes later, it is also revealed that Dee changed her name to Wangero. To explain such a decision, Wangero claims that “she[Dee] ‘s dead, I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me” (Walker). However, Mrs. Johnson opposes that Dee was named after her (Mrs. Johnson’s) sister Dicie who, in turn, inherited that name from Grandma Dee. The narrator could continue tracing back the origin of the name to the times of the Civil War but does not tell this to her older daughter. This scene depicts the first or minor conflict between Dee/Wangero and her family, although it was not explicit.
Through such a small clash, Walker draws the first difference between characters’ perceptions of historical heritage. The author wants to show that Wangero’s desire to reunite with her original roots leads to the alienation from the cultural background of her ancestors in the United States. By claiming that “she’s dead,” Dee metaphorically dies for her family (Yang 365). On the contrary, Mrs. Johnson seems not very concerned with her pre-slavery heritage greatly, but she treasures the more recent traditions of her people. Therefore, the author maintains that by denying the impact of the oppression period on the African culture in the U.S., people may lose the important part of their heritage.
Everyday Use vs. Some Day Use
The second or major conflict happens because of the old quilts and other family relics that Wangero/Dee wants to take from her house to organize an artistic display. When Mrs. Johnson says that she promised to give quilts to Maggie, Wangero exclaims, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” (Walker). Indeed, from Dee’s perspective, the quilts and hand-made churn and dash are the objects that should be preserved for current and future generations. Conversely, Maggie and her mother want to keep those quilts for younger daughter’s personal use. For them, these objects are important as they evoke memories concerning their long-gone family members.
Through the major and central conflict of the story, Alice Walker formulates her main argument that heritage’s true appreciation is based on its everyday use. In this regard, while for Dee, the relics of her people are objects that can be enjoyed only during special occasions, Maggie represents the historical and cultural continuance with traditions of her ancestors. Understanding that Mrs. Johnson says, “God knows I been saving ’em for long enough with nobody using ’em. I hope she will!” (Walker). Also, similarly to the main hero, the author hopes that Afro-Americans would start appreciating their culture not by displaying it on special occasions but by following their parents’ and grandparents’ traditions daily.
Factors That May Have Shaped Wanegro’s Views
Finally, after understanding the difference between characters’ perceptions of heritage, it is necessary to discuss why Wangero’s views differ compared to Mrs. Johnson and Maggie. Although the author does not answer this question directly, some possible explanations can still be extracted from the text. First of all, Wangero seemingly lives in the city while her sister and mother reside in a rural area and, thus, adopted the lifestyle of townsfolk (Sadeq and Al-Badawi 158). Thus, probably, instead of learning how to make a quilt herself, she spends her free time in cinemas, bars, or museums. For this reason, the ‘everyday use’ of heritage may actually be burdensome for her. However, on the flip side, she may still desire to preserve her culture and traditions and, thus, try to connect with her roots through other means.
The other reason may lie in the psychological characteristics of Mrs. Johnson’s older daughter. For instance, at the beginning of the story, the narrator indicates that “Dee wanted nice things. A yellow organdy dress to wear to her graduation from high school; black pumps to match a green suit she’d made from an old suit somebody gave me” (Walker). As a result, it can be hypothesized that Wanegro has always sought to be different from others. Therefore, when she moved to college, where there were many other girls as stylish and as clever as her, she started seeking uniqueness in her roots.
Conclusion
In summary, the current essay discussed the differences between Mrs. Johnson’s/Maggie’s and Dee’s views on heritage. It was found that Wangero tried to deny the American part of her heritage while for Mrs. Johnson for Maggie, the latter is associated with the family and traditions and, thus, is very personal. Also, it was stated that for a mother and a younger daughter, the culture was for ‘everyday use’, whereas Dee would rather appreciate it only during some special times. Moreover, the paper presented two reasons why Wangero’s perceptions of heritage differed from attitudes of other family members, namely the influence of the city life and personal characteristics.
Works Cited
Elmore, Raheem Terrell Rashawn. Cultural Traumaâs Influence On Representations Of African American Identity In Alice Walkerâs âEveryday Useâ. 2019. University of Dayton, Master’s Thesis.
Sadeq, Ala Eddin, and Mohammed Al-Badawi. “Epiphanic Awakenings in Raymond Carverâs Cathedral and Alice Walkerâs Everyday Use.” Advances in Language and Literary Studies, vol. 7, no. 3, 2016, pp. 157-160.
Walker, Alice. Everyday Use. Harper’s Magazine.
Yang, Xinyu. “Study on Black Woman Spirituality in Alice Walker’s Everyday Use.” Proceedings of the 2020 International Conference on Language, Communication and Culture Studies (ICLCCS 2020), 2020. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research. Edited by Wadim StrieĆkowski et al. Vol. 537, Atlantis Press, 2021.