#102 Everyday Use- Alice Walker
Change is a struggle. Dee is growing up, leaves home for
college, and learns about self-worth, social change, and the oppression of her
community. In her sudden evolution, she has a hard times grasping what and
where her true heritage lies.
She is embarrassed of her family, her uneducated mother and
timid sister living in the poor old part of town. She was happy when the old
place burned down and couldn’t get out of there fast enough. But she has found a bit of knowledge, hooked
up with a righteous Muslim man, and despite changing her name, and donning new
African clothing, has come back to grab some of her heritage. She takes a
polaroid of the house to prove her humble upbringing, she fawns over the hand-made furniture her family made themselves, and she wants her mother to give her
grandmother’s (the one she is named after) handmade quilts.
The fight over these quilts is the heart of her struggle.
They have been promised to Maggie, her younger sister, but Dee is afraid that
they will be ruined in her care because she will use them for everyday use. Of
course they will, her mothers says and good thing too, because they haven’t
been getting any use lately. Dee doesn’t want to use them, she wants to hang
them in her house, to remember and display her heritage.
She warns her sister: “You ought to try to make something of
yourself too, Maggie. It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and
mama still live you’d never know it.”
Change is a struggle, but not all change is good for all
people. It’s good that Maggie wants to learn and be an evolved individual, but
her desires are misplaced and her disrespect for her family and real upbringing
is regretful. It’s a mistake made by many young people trying to strike out on their
own. Mama is a rock, her patience and love are commendable. She tries to give
enough room for growth while turning the other cheek…but the quilts are a step
too far.
Notable Passage: “A yard like this is more comfortable than
most people know. It is not just a yard. It is an extended living room.”
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