Introduction
The two stories created by Amy Tan and Alice Walker depict the similar paths of girls that explore their heritage. Both characters have their concerns regarding the history of their families that are initiated from different parts of the world. Girls go through the process of evaluation of their legacy and traditions, but they come to different conclusions. This paper will discuss the plots and themes of stories and how they are similar. Furthermore, the historical, cultural, and social heritage will be considered and its importance to people today.
“A Pair of Tickets” Story
“A Pair of Tickets” by Amy Tan tells a story about June May, a young girl who wants to explore her identity. May is originally an American-Chinese girl who was raised in the USA and does not know how to feel about her Chinese identity. The narration starts with June’s words: “I think, my mother was right. I am becoming Chinese” (Tan, p. 267). The story aims to tell the reader about June’s journey to China with her father, Canning Woo, to meet her sisters, and uncover the past of her mother. During this journey, June’s emotions about her heritage change as she is getting more involved with the traditional culture of China.
After getting the letter about her mother’s death, June with her father decided to go to China. The reunion with June’s twin sisters and great-aunt is heartfelt. Canning Woo tells sisters the story of their mother’s past. She was forced to abandon her twin daughters, and a lovely couple adopted them. June starts taking pictures on Polaroid with her sisters, and when they compare the photos, sisters understand that they resemble their mother. After this emotional reconnection, June finds that she feels complete and that the similarity among sisters goes beyond their appearance; it is in their blood.
The themes of identity, appearance, self-identification, and heritage convey the narration of the journey. After discovering her mother’s history, June realizes the value of her culture and the deep bonding with her Chinese mother that she tried to ignore throughout her life. Tan’s story, therefore, implies that appearance and reality are equal. However, what is more important is the heritage and history that make June complete and proud.
“Everyday Use” Story
The story by Alice Walker tells the reader about family relationships between Dee, the eldest daughter, big-boned Dee’s mother named Mama, and Dee’s sister Maggie. It is a homecoming day, and both sisters come to the house of Mama. Maggie, who is getting married soon, is quieter and more traditional. Dee, on the opposite, left home to get a good education and feels that she knows the real value of her culture in comparison to Mama and Maggie.
The tension in the family appears because of Dee’s outside education. Mama has skills that help her in everyday life, while Dee’s experience is not grounded in everyday usefulness; instead, it belongs to an immaterial kind of utility. Mama thinks that Dee’s traditions changed, as it is suggested by the author, “Dee’s primary use for the quilts would be to hang them on the wall as a reminder of her superior social and economic status” (White). It is suggested that Dee thinks she can interpret the heritage of her African roots better than her mother can.
When Dee comes, Mama sees her in traditional African clothes. Dee also changed her name and seems to be very involved in her African heritage. Dee asks her mother to give her a quilt made out of her grandmother’s clothes, but Mama refuses to provide it, because she feels that Dee’s intention to look more like African is unnatural. Mama asks Dee: “Why don’t you do a dance around the ashes?” (Walker, p. 104). Dee feels rage and anger and leaves without the quilt.
The themes raised in “Everyday Use” extend to heritage, the interpretation of traditions, and connection with the family. Dee’s intention to look like a real African woman appears to be a limited ideal that does not express the value of heritage that she has. Dee is trying to recreate herself with clothes and jewelry based on ideas written in books, but they do not represent the real heritage of an African woman. It is suggested that Dee’s appearance is artificial, because of misguidance created by outside education, and her family notices it.
Comparison of Stories Told by Tan and Walker
The central theme in both stories, “A Pair of Tickets” and “Everyday Use”, is the heritage and identity of a person. This theme conveys other essential topics, such as appearance and family connections. However, the plot of the stories is different: “A Pair of Tickets” tells the reader about the reception and understanding of history and heritage. “Everyday Use” creates the narrative of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the inheritance. Both Walker and Tan highlight the necessity of bringing culture, accepting the past and present of the family, and the ability to distinguish between authentic habits and false traditions. Walker is analyzing the main character’s African-American family habits and attitudes. Tan is showing the evolvement of the heritage of the Chinese-American family.
On the one hand, Walker, while telling the story, focuses on the description of three main characters, their feelings, and thoughts about the heritage. On the other hand, Tan portrays the experience of June May, her vision of traditions, and her feelings. Both plots are discussing the same topic; however, only one scene has a happy ending. Walker depicts the difference between Dee’s mother’s and sister’s value of heritage and her view on African history that appears to be false and artificial. Tan’s character, June, embodies the actual value of her heritage, accepts her Chinese roots and feels a deep connection with her mother and sisters from China.
Both stories portray journeys back home of girls, who want to find their identities and discover the heritage that lies underneath their families’ history. Dee that was brought in a traditional heritage community, tries to go away from the traditions by creating an artificial ideal of African heritage. June that had controversial feelings about her mother’s legacy, goes to China and finds historical bonding. Nonetheless, both narratives demonstrate the reader that the traditions that people sometimes are embarrassed about are the essential traditions that create and compose the identity of people.
The Importance of Heritage to People Today
It is essential to note that any piece of work is created based on many historical, cultural, and social processes that are going at a time of creation. These processes influence the manner of the author’s illustration and how a person perceives and interprets the work. To understand the meaning and real value of work, one needs to collect the information and facts behind the work.
The importance of heritage and historical, cultural, and social similarities should not be undervalued. Jones suggests that values that are aimed to maintain cultural and social essence are “fundamental to heritage conservation today” (p. 23). Heritage nowadays gives people a deep bonding with long-lasting traditions, values, habits, and customs that were forming for centuries. Traditional legacy helps to find communities and people that have similar mindsets.
The process of community formation based on similarities can be observed in different parts of the world: for instance, Chinese people form an active community despite being outside their home country, and unity helps them overcome various issues that arise while settling. In big cities, such as Los Angeles, people may feel lost initially, but having heritage behind them, people can find close communities based on similarities. However, one can observe the opposite process as well, when people who move from their countries to other places, might not find the connection with local culture and might feel that they are extraneous.
People who have historical and social similarities may have an ultimate sense of cohesion and identification with the community that shares the same customs and values. However, today, people may not express their feelings towards the value of a particular sight until it becomes endangered. The example with Notre-Dame de Paris shows that people may overlook the value of sight and be careless, even though the area creates a sense of social community for French people. Therefore, it is crucial nowadays to “respect and safeguard all cultural heritage” (Franchi). Heritage makes people who they are with tangible and intangible things that help a person to develop a unique identity.
Conclusion
“A Pair of Tickets” and “Everyday Use” illustrate how essential it is for people to discover the authentic heritage that makes them up and creates customs, beliefs, and traditions within the unity. Historical, cultural, and social similarities, when appropriately interpreted, can help a person to assimilate in any location or community. Although traditions, values, or habits may change, the core heritage always exists and supports a person in any situation because it is in the blood of a person who owns it.