Characterisation in Everyday Use Essay

Evolution of African American Community;

Characterization in Everyday Use

In Alice Walkers short story Everyday Use characters and items are used to symbolize the progression of the African American families and their culture. The symbolism in the story is portrayed through the lives of the three main characters. Through these characters is seen a progression of the African American culture in society. The items that the characters hold dear represent the heritage they are trying to leave behind but still want to remember in the future. Walker uses the women to creatively display the evolution of African Americans in society.

Mama represents the hard workers who spend their lives working for others. Though not a slave, Mama spends her days working for Dee and Maggie. Mama is a tough woman describing herself as a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands (109). She is uneducated, which was a major struggle early on for the African American community, have only completed second grade because the school was closed down (110). Mama is a practical woman who considers her heritage dear and keeps it close by using items which remind her of family members long passed. She treasures the items but also has a need for the churn top whittled by Uncle Buddy and the dasher whittled by Aunt Dees first husband (113).

Though practical like Mama, Maggie is not as hard a worker due to her injury. Maggie represents the African American community, which tried to overcome the oppression but was met with a fight and scarred. Due to the disability, Maggie is now withdrawn from the world outside of her local community. Although she is soft spoken members of her local community know and understand her oddities. Maggie is a self-sufficient woman able to cook, sew, and quilt. She will be able to provide for herself much better than Dee because she believes these qualities are important. Maggie symbolizes the African American community bonding together and taking care of their own versus getting hurt by the outside world.

Throughout the story Dee is seen talking down to Mama and Maggie. She believes that because she is more educated she knows more about their heritage than the others. She feels that Mama and Maggie do not cherish items given to them by previous generations. Dee has many material possessions such as jewelry, clothing, and a camera, which is unusual for the time period. Dee believes that these possessions make her more of an equal in society. When she came back to visit, she had changed her name to Wangero which she believed represented her heritage more so than being named after the people who oppress me (112). Dees personal struggle to overcome the oppression directly parallels the African American communitys struggle to overcome oppression.

The evolution of the African American community in society can creatively be seen through Alice Walkers development of the characters Mama, Maggie, and Dee. Walker also uses possessions to creatively represent the heritage of the family. Through the three characters, Walker symbolizes the struggles and success of the African American community. The complexities of the characters also symbolize the complexities of the different generations of the African American community.

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