On the surface, Alice Walker's "Everyday Use" is, in some way, about a mother's dynamic relationship with her two daughters, who have conflicting attitudes toward their familial and cultural roots. It is also a representation of the misguided and superficial pride resulting from the civil rights movement. In his story, Walker compares African Americans who accepted life and lived their culture by carrying on family traditions with those who fought for their identity, trying to “museumize” the past and highlight their culture. Walker's characters, Dee and Maggie, represent these conflicting perspectives in the struggle for African American identity. His choice of detailed events, southern settings, characters, and symbols of the Johnson family home work together to reveal the deeper meaning of the story and lead us to infer that Walker believes African-American heritage should be integrated into daily life rather than preserved and superficially displayed. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay In Walker's story, Dee, the eldest daughter, returns home to her poor beginnings to visit her mother and to his sister after being absent from school. Dee and her husband arrive at the dilapidated house with a somewhat dramatic entrance as her family recognizes her new appearance and style. They greet each other awkwardly, as tension is immediately felt when Mom and Maggie realize Dee has changed her generational name to Wangero, an African name. Mom and Maggie can't pronounce African names, but they still joke with visitors in a very sarcastic tone. When everyone comes in to eat, we see that Dee suddenly loves everything that previously bothered her. Clearly, black nationalism changed Dee's perception of her origins. Dee continues to desire various family heirlooms such as the butter churn and two meaningful family quilts. Thanks to black pride and the civil rights movement, Dee now views her native culture as elegant and wants to use family heirlooms for decoration. Mom always took care of Dee and gave her everything she wanted, but in this case, Mom had promised Maggie the quilts. While Maggie agrees to give them to Dee, Mom ultimately stands up to Dee by grabbing the quilts and giving them to Maggie. Describing events with this level of detail is important because it allows the reader to see the nuances of cultural differences and family discord. The setting must be taken into account in order to fully understand the assumptions that play a role in each of the character's attitudes. “Everyday Use” is set in the early 1970s, when African Americans were struggling to find an identity after racial segregation and discrimination were outlawed in the United States. The Black Power and African Pride movements emerged during this time, as many wanted to rediscover their African roots and change their way of life. Some, like Dee, have gone too far. Overly motivated by the civil rights movement, Dee began to completely reject the American part of her heritage. Mom asks her eldest daughter, “What happened to Dee?” » and Wangero replies: “She is dead, I can no longer bear to bear the name of the people who oppress me” (67). “Everyday Use” takes place in the Johnson family’s three-bedroom, tin-roofed cabin (67). and) "just a few holes made on the sides" for the windows (66). The practicality of the life situation once again shows the differences betweenthe characters. Mom and Maggie appreciate the simplicity and value of everyday objects and a functional living space. Even after the civil rights movement, they still valued the African and American aspects of their culture. Dee/Wangero can only accept the family home ironically, seeing it as some sort of quaint historical piece instead of a real, living home. Walker's characterization of Mama, Maggie, and Dee further clarifies the theme of "everyday use." Their attitudes toward pride and heritage are revealed through their reactions to each other and to everyday objects in the house . The main character and narrator, Mrs. Johnson (Mama), describes herself as “a tall, muscular woman, with rough, industrious hands” (65). She is an extremely strong, independent and proud woman. Although she only has a sophomore degree, Ms. Johnson understands the changing times and says, "In 1972, [people] of color asked fewer questions than they do today" (66). She is level-headed and satisfied with her environment and her way of life. Although she worked hard to provide for her daughters, Mom always felt like she couldn't live up to the expectations of her eldest daughter, Dee. Ultimately, she finds ways to stand up to Dee in the name of what she, Mom, knows is right. Dee is described as having her own style. She is much more extravagant than her mother, who says Dee always wanted nice things growing up and was always on the path to higher education. Dee frequently read to Mom and Maggie during school days: “No pity; imposing words, lies, other people's habits, entire lives on us, sitting trapped and ignorant... she washed us in a river of imaginations, burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn't necessarily need to know » (66). Dee always believed that she was meant for greater things than her family and that she was superior to them. Mama relates that Dee "once wrote to me that no matter where we choose to live, she will manage to come see us" (66), a condescending promise from someone who was becoming well-educated and sophisticated over time. school. However, Dee is also very self-centered and becomes (or always has been) ignorant of her family's values ​​and her own materialistic nature. Dee's change in name, appearance, and values ​​reflects her new attitude toward her culture. Maggie, unlike Dee, is portrayed as thin, weak, shy, and not as intelligent as her sister, although ironically she is shown to be more knowledgeable about her culture and ancestral roots. Maggie is embarrassed because she was physically scarred by the fire that burned down the Johnsons' first house. Mom notes that "Maggie will be nervous until her sister leaves: she will stand desperately in corners, plain and ashamed of the burn scars on her arms and legs, looking at her sister with a mixture of envy and respect." (65). Although simple and understated, Maggie's sense of pride is both genuine and practical. The family quilts remind her of her ancestors and she respects their struggles. Her daily use of quilts shows how she would continue to incorporate her heritage into her life rather than using them to display African style. Maggie's character is a foil to Dee's, highlighting the difference between their feelings of pride and culture. The central symbol of this story are the family quilts. They represent the ancestral history and generational ties of the Johnson family, connecting the present and the past. Quilts are also used to distinguish genuine and practical pride in,, 2007. 64-70.