Introduction
“Everyday Use” is an allegorical story that intertwines the African heritage and modern world practices. Written by Alice Walker, the story focuses on the lives of the African Americans who struggle to the African legacy amid a world engrossed with diverse cultures. Therefore, the narrator struggles to reveal the contemptuous attitude of Dee who is purely engrossed in a new culture. Critically, analysis of Walker’s story reveals her artistic prowess in blending the literary techniques to reveal the radical transformation in black people. Therefore, in addition to giving a vivid precise on the story “Everyday Use,” the net discussion also reviews the story by focusing on the writer’s strengths and weaknesses.
Body
Through despising the contemptuous attitude of Dee, Walker silently condemns Africans who paint their culture as inferior. The narrator, the mother, seems eager to see her eldest daughter, Dee, who lives in town. Though she prepares everything in readiness for the visitor, she is aware of the conflicting lifestyle between her daughters. While Dee despises the African heritage and lifestyle, Maggie appreciates it. Dee is arrogant, selfish, and wild, a character that motivates her to paint her mother and sister as traditional. During her visit, she announces that she has changed her name from Dee to Wangero.
Intuitively her action reveals that she does not appreciate her African heritage, which deeply lies names. Mother tries to elaborate the importance of the name Dee as a family name, which bonds them, but her eldest daughter shuns her. Although the mother is unhappy with her decision, she earns to pronounce the name. Ironically, although Dee rejects her cultural name, she fights for the possession of some of the items, which are landmarks in her culture. For instance, she wants to possess her mother’s quilts for decoration purposes. Therefore, she does not appreciate the African culture.
Intuitively, through focusing on the quilt, Walker highlights the theme of African heritage. Unfortunately, while some of the Africans fight to carry on the legacy of their culture, others like Dee see it as extinct. Eventually, Maggie decides to let Dee possess the quilts but her mother disapproves of her decision. Thus, although hatred ensures between the mother and Dee, the decision to give Maggie the quilts shows that the erosion of the African cultural heritage is a personal decision. Conclusively, the emergence of other cultures has led to a division between family members.
By focusing on the American women, Walker silently raises her concern over the minority groups in America. As a famous author with expertise in different genres, Walker explicitly addresses the theme of cultural heritage that raised conflicts in many families. Dee is not on good terms with both her mother and sister (Maggie). Their difference in lifestyle and perception of their culture is the origin of the conflicts. As an educated woman in an African family, Dee disapproves of her culture as being backward. However, walker paints Dee as an arrogant character to motivate the educated Africans to appreciate their cultural heritage.
Therefore, as an African who has lived in an oppressive world, Walker implicitly calls for African women to not only appreciate their culture but also to embrace education. The author prolifically blends her experiences with the radical transformation in American society to empower women.
While writing her story, walker applies different literary techniques, which is proof of her writing prowess. Metaphorically, wake uses the quilts not only to represent the African heritage but also to show the bond that exists in the African women of different generations. For instance, the mother says, “Some of the pieces, like those lavender ones, come from old clothes [Grandma Dee’s] mother handed down to her” (Walker 10).
Thus, possession of the quilt shows that an individual appreciates women who came before her. Secondly, the butter churn is another device that metaphorically connects the African women. Intuitively, when mother touches it she remembers the other women who have had a profound effect on her life. Walker uses the quilt and the butter churn to instill a sense of love and appreciation. Therefore, Walker carefully articulates literary devices like metaphors with her observation skills t appreciate motherhood.
Furthermore, Walker logically calls for the empowerment of women despite their educational backgrounds. Although Dee has the education her character faults her. According to mother, “[She] pressed us to her with the serious way she read, to shove us away at just the moment, like dimwits, we seemed about to understand” (Walker, 5). Analytically Walker condemns the black women who are arrogant, selfish, and full of pride mainly because f their educational status.
Although black women like Dee are beautiful they lack respect for their culture. Besides, women empowerment, being mandatory, black pride should be discouraged. Therefore, Walker uses the contemporary issues in her society to condemn the vices in her people. Walker lends her literary skills and observatory nature to challenge pride in black people.
Nevertheless, Walker’s story sidelines the importance of the male gender in society. Besides using women as her main characters, she also finds fault in the man she includes in her story. For example, a mother makes fun of Dee’s boyfriend while Maggie is not ready to shake hands with him (Walker, 8). She gives a vivid description of him as a “short stocky man, hair is all over his head a foot long and hanging chin like a kinky mule tail,” (Walker, 8) to show her low perception towards men.
Walker’s story disapproves of men because of their oppressive nature during her contemporary times. The second weakness of her story is the abrupt ending, which leaves the reader in suspense. For example, when a mother decides to give a quilt to Maggie, how does Dee react in addition to stomping away? The reader has to speculate on the reaction of Dee.
Conclusion
Conclusively, in comparison, with other literary works, Walker’s story explicitly outlines the issues humorously affecting the world. Walker uses her personal experiences not only as an African but also as a woman to highlight the theme of African heritage. She articulates her life, experiences, gender, and contemporary issues to develop her theme. Apart from encouraging women to take up education, she condemns pride among the few elites in the society. Unfortunately, the ability to shun the importance of men in her society becomes the major weakness in her story. Intuitively equality is a vital element that society should embrace and not shun as it is with her story. Therefore, all feminist writers like Walker should also appreciate the men in society.
Bibliography
Walker, Alice, “Everyday Use.” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig. 10th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012. 5-13. Print.