Introduction
Everyday Use is a symbolic story blends African heritage and contemporary world rituals. Alice Walker, a renowned American author, poet, and activist, wrote the narrative. Through literature and activism, Walker has been deeply involved in advocating for civil and women’s rights. Everyday Use focuses on the livelihood of African Americans and their struggle to maintain the African legacy in modern times. Walker’s skill as a writer may be seen in the story’s critical examination, which demonstrates that she employs a variety of literary devices. The narrator explicitly employs the characters’ personalities and symbolism to depict how different approaches to cultural heritage can impact one’s sense of self and family dynamics.
Central Theme
The story explores the central theme of the conflict between heritage and identity, which she captured by the clash between different viewpoints. Walker pays attention to the value of a genuine connection to one’s cultural roots by showing how different characters perceive and value their African heritage in America. She works extra hard to convey Dee’s scornful attitude, which results from her complete immersion in a foreign culture.
The two other main characters, Mama and Maggie, have a deeper and more authentic connection to their heritage, which they value for its cultural and familial significance. The different perspectives result in a cultural and heritage conflict primarily due to the influence of other cultures (Anderson 32). Walker’s concerns about minority groups in America are raised subtly by the attention given to African-American women, and she wishes for them to embrace modernity and education while also appreciating their tradition.
Character Analysis
The story has three primary characters derived from the same family. The characters’ contrasting personalities and views on heritage drive the story’s central conflict. Mama is the oldest and the mother of the other two characters, Dee and Maggie. She is the narrator and mediator between her two daughters, trying to navigate the conflict over heritage and identity. Mama is an African-American middle-aged woman who grew up during heightened segregation of Africans such that she did not complete her studies, as her school closed down after second grade (Walker 6). Her family’s house was burned down, and she relocated to a rural house in Georgia where she lives with Maggie, the youngest daughter. She grew up in a poor rural environment, and her character is constructed through her perspective, actions, language, and attitude.
Mama embodies a more authentic connection to her heritage. Her stand can be likened to the assertion by Vincent (5): “Living in a different age or culture would make you a different person. Even if you rebelled against the values of your time and place, they still would represent the context of your life—in other words, they still would influence your responses.” She understands the importance of everyday items, like quilts, passed down through generations.
Her attachment to these items is rooted in the history, memories, and love they hold rather than their market value. She represents heritage as a living, evolving part of one’s identity (Jean 13). While getting ready for her visit, she is also aware of the divergent lifestyles of her two daughters and appears eager to see her eldest daughter, Dee, who lives in the city. She stands with her culture, and when her daughter, Dee, announces her intention to change her name to Wangero, she tries to elaborate on the importance of the family name, especially in creating a stronger bond.
Dee’s character is constructed through her mother’s description, actions, and attitude. She is a college-educated, adult African-American woman who lives away from her rural home. Dee represents a modern, superficial view of heritage, valuing it for its aesthetic, exotic, fashionable, and marketable qualities. She sees heritage as something to be displayed and admired, but her approach is detached from her family’s real, lived experiences.
Dee’s behavior indicates that she does not value her African background because of her way of life and belief that the culture is archaic. She seems to live by the statement, “The formula for success and happiness begins with feeling good about ourselves” (Vincent 11). However, Walker paints Dee as arrogant, selfish, and wild, as she despises and contemptuously toward the African culture. As she plans to visit her mother, Dee announces that she has changed her name to Wangero. Through the character, Walker uses her creative talents to undermine the arrogance of African-American women who believe they have achieved empowerment.
Dee battles for ownership of quilts, which are important cultural landmarks, despite the absurdity of wishing to change her name. She wants to possess the items for decoration purposes as Walker advocates for a different form of empowerment over and above the education modern women brag to have. This is emphasized through Mama’s statement that “[She] pressed us to her with the serious way she read, to shove us away at just the moment, like dimwits, we seemed about to understand” (Walker, 5). Walker used Dee to criticize African-American women who are conceited, egotistical, and proud, primarily owing to their educational level.
Maggie’s character is also inferred through her mother’s description and the different aspects of her personality and state of mind. She is generally homely, shy, and reserved but embodies a deep connection to her heritage. Maggie has burn scars on her arms and legs that she sustained at a young age following a traumatic event of a fire that destroyed their house (Walker 12). The scars symbolize a physical connection to her family’s history. She also appreciates the African heritage and lifestyle to the extent that she shuns her elder sister, Dee, when she proclaims her intention to adopt a new name, Wangero. Her mother chooses to give her the quilts not for their aesthetic appeal but due to her appreciation of the African-American culture. However, she lets Dee possess the quilts, even though Mama disapproves.
Other Characters
Everyday Use’s predominant focus on women reveals Walker’s desire to downplay the significance of men in society. She uses women as her major characters and criticizes the men she uses as supporting roles. As an illustration, Mama makes fun of Dee’s lover while Maggie hesitates to shake his hand. She describes him as a “short, stocky man; hair is all over his head a foot long and hanging chin like a kinky mule tail” (Gardner 438), demonstrating her negative opinion of men. Maggie will shortly be wedded to John Thomas, who Walker describes as having “mossy teeth in an earnest face.” The narrative criticizes males for their oppressive nature during contemporary times.
Symbolism
The central theme in the story is also linked to the idea of who has the right to claim and represent a particular cultural legacy, as quilts have been used to depict objects of artistic and cultural significance. In a metaphorical sense, Walker uses the quilts to demonstrate the relationship between African women of various generations and their African heritage. The mother, for instance, claims that “some of the pieces, like those lavender ones, come from old clothes [Grandma Dee’s] mother handed down to her” (Gardner 440).
Therefore, owning a quilt demonstrates appreciation for those who came before you. The butter churn is yet another object that unites African women symbolically. When Mama touches it, she instinctively thinks of the other women who have significantly impacted her life. Walker also uses the quilt and the butter churn to create a more profound sense of love and appreciation.
Conclusion
Conclusively, Alice Walker, in her story, Everyday Use, uses her personal experiences not only as an African but also as a woman to highlight the theme of cultural heritage with a focus on the African-American culture. She speaks about African-American women’s lives, experiences, and current challenges to develop her theme. Along with promoting education for women, Walker criticizes a small group of educated elites for their arrogance. Symbolism, specifically the quilts and butter churn, supports the central theme. Sadly, her decision to downplay the significance of men in society is the story’s biggest flaw. Equality is a crucial concept that society should embrace rather than reject.
Works Cited
Anderson, Judith E. Stones and Stories: A Primer on Literary Analysis, Hermeneutics, and Writing. Resource Publication, 2019.
Jean Jacques Weber. Critical Analysis of Fiction. BRILL, 2021.
Gardner, Janet E. Literature: A Portable Anthology. 4th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2020.
Vincent Ryan Ruggiero. Beyond Feelings: A Guide to Critical Thinking. 9th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2012.
Walker, Alice. Everyday Use. 1973. Rutgers University Press.
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