Everyday Use
In today's society, the media manipulates beauty as an outward appearance that can only be seen by the eye. On the other side of beauty is inner beauty, which can not only be seen but also felt in the soul. Both forms of beauty are portrayed in Alice Walker's, "Everyday Use." In this story the narrator is confronted with the decision on which form of beauty is more pure. Walker uses the examples of beauty through Maggie, inner beauty, and Dee, outer beauty, to distinguish these two forms of beauty. Throughout the story, the mother is faced with trials that will enable her to conclude a sound decision of true beauty. From the beginning of the story the narrator, the mother, is partial to her oldest daughter, Dee. Dee's outward beauty is the factor that gains her mother's acceptance. The mother in turn seeks Dee's approval with her own outward appearance. Unlike her wishful-petite figure, the mother describes herself as " a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands" (Walker 1152). In contrast to Dee's appearance, Maggie is less appealing and more shy and ashamed. The narrator strengthens this statement by writing, "She has b
through reliability and respect. Maggie has a generous and beautiful inside that isn't seen een like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground" (Walker 1153). The beginning of the story shows that the mother and Maggie are both intimidated by Dee's outward beauty. However, as the story progresses, the reader is able to grasp a firm understanding of how outward beauty is not as important as it first appears to be. by the mother till the end of the story. The prime example of Maggie's generosity is Dee's beauty didn't only gain her mother's acceptance, but also the acceptance of the church. Between the mother and the church, they raised enough money to send Dee off to college. Although the gesture seemed thoughtful, Dee wasn't as grateful as she should have been and looked down on those who lifted her up. "She used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folk's habits, whole lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice" (Walker 1153). This quote directly shows how unappreciable she was about the generosity of the community and
Some common words found in the essay are:
Dee Dee's, Leewanika Kemanjo, Walker's Everyday, Frank Magill, Grandma Dee, Fiction Cowart, , Cowart Dee's, Army War, Dee Maggie, mother's acceptance, outward beauty, outward appearance, didn't gain mother's, gain mother's, beauty dee, dee quilts, maggie's generosity, story narrator, story mother, dee's outward beauty, gain mother's acceptance, throughout story,
Approximate Word count = 780
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
