Everyday use by Alice Walker is a story about traditional and modern way of life. The story takes place in the Deep South. The main characters Mama, Maggie are stay at home women and then theres Dee the educated one. The conflict involved who would get the quilts. At the end Mama ends up giving the quilt to Maggie because she will keep the tradition alive.
Mama is a very traditional woman. She lives in a farm, in a shack-like house, with no windows just holes. The outside is nothing but dirt all around. Mama is very intimidated by white people because in the south there was a lot of racism and she felt that she was cut off from mainstream society. Shes not educated since all the schools were closed down due to racism. However, she had all the traditional skills that enabled her to survive in her rural society. For example, she milked cows, knew how to quilt and her deep knowledge of her family history. Like Mama, Maggie is also traditional. Shes very shy and withdrawn because shes very self conscious about her scars that she received when her house burned down when she was younger. Shes mentally slow and is intimidated by her sister because she is smarter and prettier then she is. Maggie will be nervous until after her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly alone in corners homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe (355-356). However, like her mother she has traditional skills in particular making beautiful quilts and shes also marrying a local guy.
Dee is very modern. As a child, Dee was very ambitious to escape her rural poverty because she was ashamed of her poor uneducated family. She manages to escape her rural poverty and get an education. On the day the story takes place, Dee arrives in an unexpected visit. Mama is in shocked watching Dee wearing an African dress and Jewelry. Also she has taken an African name and had an Islamic boyfriend. In the 1960s African American were embarrassing their African and rural roots. However, Dee is a hypocrite because shes taking pictures of the house, which she hated before as a child and now wants to show off to her friends that she comes from authentic roots and she also eats pork, which Islamic are not allowed to.
The turning point of the story is when Maggie and Dee both want the quilts, which represents family tradition. Dee was offered the quilts years before but didnt take it. But now that coming from a traditional background is popular she wants it and feels that Maggie will only use it for everyday use.
At the end of the story Mama gives the quilts to Maggie because she felt pity for Maggie since she never gets anything she wants. Also Mama knows that by giving it to Maggie she will keep passing on the tradition since she knows how to quilt. But if Dee would get it she will only use it as a showcase and it would embalm the tradition.
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