everyday use

A detailed Summary of everyday use

It seems as if the importance of family traditions and heirlooms has been passed

down from generation to generation since the dawn of time. In many cultures, being

named after a family member is not only the norm, but considered an honor. These

heirlooms that are passed down represent a family's ancestry and heritage. In Alice

Walker's "Everyday Use," it is evident that Dee is equally confused about her family's

African-American heritage and the significance of their heirlooms. Futhermore, the

oldest daughter Dee can be seen as a, "superior-minded child looking down on her

mother's simplicity, and, in effect, the simplicity of her heritage" (Bauer 7).

Dee's confusion and apparent misconceptions were present early in her life. To better

understand the significance of Dee's faults, and how they develop, Walker makes Dee a

round character. She also tells the story through the mother's point of view which allows

the audience to understand both Dee and Maggie. Beginning with childhood Dee was

never proud of her surroundings or family. From the expression on her face, you could

assume that Dee was quite content with the thought of that ole' shack b

"everyday use" (Walker 73). If her mother let Dee have them, "she would frame the

name) arrives looking more beautiful than ever, flaunting her emancipated identity

was most likely pre-occupied with the notion of a better house being built as a result of

put them to everyday use would be to admit her status as a member of her old-fashioned

Approximate Word count = 867
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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