Introduction
Among the many features of interpersonal communication in the family, there is a global problem of misunderstanding between parents and their children. It is a process of normal child development and conflict, as the accumulation of experiences shapes their values, which are not always reflected in their parents’ thinking. Alice Walker, in her short story “Everyday Use”, explores issues of culture that affect family relationships. Walker states that the family’s relationship to their culture differs depending on their interactions with the world around them, with parents and children experiencing different experiences.
Main Theme
The central theme of the story “Everyday Use” is culture, whose value is perceived differently by people in close quarters. The story features relationships within a black family that interpret African culture in different ways and incorporate it into their lives. Walker uses several characters to talk about the place culture holds for them.
First, there is the mother, Mrs. Johnson, from whom the narrative is told, and who is attached to her way of life. She does not understand or accept how one of her daughters lives, but tries not to express her displeasure. Second is Dee, or Wangero, Levanihi A Kemanjo, who holds her ideals about culture and family. She has been educated, seeks to embrace her cultural identity, and interacts with it in unique ways. Third, Mrs. Johnson’s other daughter, Maggie, continues to live with her mother and follow her precepts, and Dee’s husband, Hakim the Barber, is a Muslim in a very different culture.
Analysis
Culture, in one way or another, is an essential part of everyone’s life because it affects their habits, behavior, communication with others, and emotional and psychological patterns. It is worth examining the different ways one interacts with culture through the example of the family in “Everyday Use”, as Walker accurately shows how much education and the generational gap affect one’s perception of culture. Mrs. Johnson is an older generation who remembers her culture and does not want to get rid of it, but it does not seem special to her. She is uneducated (Walker 2), and Dee’s behavior seems strange because she always wants to show off her culture (Walker 3). Mrs. Johnson likes to milk cows and lead an everyday life in which quilting is done as needed, not cherished (Walker 4). She is composed within the culture but does not consider sharing it with anyone.
Mrs. Johnson’s image reinforces the idea that culture is a way of life laid down over time, and any change disrupts comfort. In addition, her lack of education and her unwillingness to understand other cultures (for example, she does not understand her husband, Dee) limit Mrs. Johnson’s ability to share her experiences. She clings to Maggie, who follows her everywhere, and does not stand out as anything remarkable, which is why Mrs. Johnson likes her so much (Walker 2). Her habit of clinging to the reality in which she has always existed alienates her from Dee, who is proud of the culture and eager to embrace it and show its beauty to others.
In contrast to Mrs. Johnson, we see Dee, who is different from her family and follows an alternative path. Even though her mother is waiting for her because they have prepared everything for her arrival – a clean yard and house (Walker 1), she does not fit into their reality. Dee is bright, classy, and unlike her family, though she also explores African-American culture. She has a new name that reflects a connection to the culture, and she finds it necessary to show all family heirlooms to others and demonstrate their value as art objects (Walker 5).
Dee does not understand why culture is not a way to show itself, rather than constantly revolving around the yard and the house where culture is created. Mrs. Johnson believes a quilt is just a quilt, a way to remember loved ones, and a connection to her. For her, culture is created within the family, while Dee is disconnected from it and wants to share culture with others.
By straddling these views, Alice Walker shows that a relationship with culture arises from personal experience, education, and interaction with others. Confined to their backyard, Mrs. Johnson and Maggie do not see a different reality because they have not had a chance to experience alternative paths. Here, Walker touches on how African Americans had to fight for acceptance of their culture. Still, there was a struggle within the culture due to social constraints, and moving forward proved difficult. One cannot introduce someone to the culture if one withholds it and keeps it inside the house without showing and telling them about it.
Conclusion
Thus, the story “Everyday Use” offers a glimpse into the opposing views of culture and its role within one family. Education, the desire to understand the world, and to get to know people, moves a person to talk about their culture and prove that it is valuable and exciting. Intergenerational conflicts of interest can get in the way of spreading culture. For some people, it is the only chance to have a close relationship with family, while others look for ways to have relationships beyond family. Alice Walker uses the example of Dee and Mrs. Johnson’s relationship to prove that sharing cultural experiences and dialogue would be the best solution for African American culture.
Work Cited
Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use”, Harper’s Magazine, 1973.