“Everyday Use” is a well-known story from the African-American writer and human rights activist Alice Walker. It is better known for the “not every day” and “non-routine” thoughts on the issue of cultural and national identity within the framework of modern society. Despite the apparent lightness and ease of narration, the story contains a deep thought about those who lived through the legacy and those who only read about it in the books. This paper will focus on the differences between the two sisters’ views on their heritage, the reasons for the change in Wangero’s attitude to the objects, and the values each character attaches to the items.
In the work “Everyday Use,” there are many significant contradictions and disagreements related to the central theme of inheritance. Sisters Maggie, Wangero (Dee), and their mother, Mrs. Johnson, are entirely dissimilar personalities, each of whom is endowed with an individual appearance and character, way of thinking, and a view of surrounding things. Their characters are associated with a unique and, at the same time, universal concept relating to deep historical elements, family, and cultural beginnings, as well as the roots of their kind and nation.
Maggie is a modest, withdrawn, and quiet girl; she is lonely and alienated from society. Imprisoned in her own body, disfigured by burns, as if in a cage, she feels bitterness and annoyance at the undeserved fate and burden. In many ways, she tries to be like her elder sister, to be the same “normal” – beautiful outside and inside. Likewise, Mama (Mrs. Johnson) is described in the text as a person of the old school, “a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands” with her “quirks” and “absurdities.”
In precisely the same way as the mother, Maggie adheres to conservative views on the world. There is nothing shameful and humiliating in continuing to live in the way that our ancestors lived before. Preferring to prioritize the ingrained way of thinking and judgment in the minds of most blacks, they pay tribute to their predecessors and probably wish the same to their heirs. Consequently, the heritage is revered and preserved until the next generations.
Undoubtedly, the character and behavior of Mrs. Johnson trace the difficult childhood and youth experienced. Resisting all innovations, she is used to the well-established and unchangeable principles in her thoughts and is not going to change anything. Her daughter, Maggie, is used to imitating her mother; the girl is extremely limited in her choice, perhaps due to her uncertainty or even lack of education. Mrs. Johnson says: “Maggie attempts to make a dash for the house, in her shuffling way, but I stay her with my hand (Walker and Christian 27)”. Hence, the mother controls every step of the daughter, protects and supports her, thereby depriving Maggie of independence and freedom in decisions.
On the contrary, Wandero distanced herself from the relatives in the method of reasoning. The girl was sent to school; she traveled a lot and absorbed new knowledge. Dee learned various lessons and wise ideas, met interesting people who most likely influenced her world perception. Heritage, in her opinion, should develop and transform to match the time, and only in this spirit is it supposed to be given high importance, reverence, and respect. In the last moments of parting, Wangero said to her mother: “You just don’t understand […] Your heritage (Walker and Christian 35).” One of the sisters threw away such prejudices, remnants of the past, and started a new life with a clean slate. She also added in response to Maggie: “It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you’d never know it (Walker and Christian 35).” With a modern, clean look at the usual way of life and being, the girl offers innovative ideas to eradicate existing problems, using the heritage proudly and publicly.
Indeed, Wangero changed feelings about the objects in her mother’s home for the following reasons. First of all, many young African Americans at that time began to take pride in their acrocentric roots during the movement. Dee wants to impress her friends by showing how African she is. This explains why Dee takes so many photos of the house, the cow, and her family and is interested in household items and interior design.
Dee is interested in various things and objects in the native home. The young girl remains involved in the materialistic aspects of the “black movement” that she is so fascinated by. These things are an integral part of the family and national property, the works of art, endowed with unique meanings. In particular, one of the sisters was interested in various products made of fabrics that she could demonstrate to others as a symbol of folk art. Instead of respecting the use of the object and using it for its intended purpose, Dee sees great value in holding the top of the churn as a sample that she can show her friends. Additionally, the patchwork blankets found in the chest and the clothes of the predecessors symbolize the authentic heritage, which one can be proud of, without being afraid to put on public display. Dee wants all these things to be not just “tools” for everyday use but an ornament, which of course, upsets her mother.
Mama, in turn, sees in such ideas disrespect for the traditions and customs rooted in the world of black people and the deep history of the African-Americans. Preferring to look into the past, in most cases, a woman does not feel well in the present. Wondero considers herself more worthy of blankets than Maggie because she understands the culture better than the rest of the family. After overhearing an argument, Maggie offers Dee blankets in an attempt to restore peace. Mom’s feelings prompted her to snatch the blankets from Wandero’s hands and give them to the one who deserves them. Mrs. Johnson tells her daughter again that she can take one of the other blankets, to which the young girl decides to put an end to the differences and leave.
In conclusion, Walker reveals the problem of generations, the importance of overcoming the crises of tyranny and identity through the symbolism and characterization of characters, settings, and items. The author of this small and wonderful story made the characters lively and expressive, giving them a bright, memorable, and unique nature. Wandero is focused on adapting to modern realities, then Maggie and Mrs. Johnson’s thoughts aim to preserve the lifestyle and not change the usual way of things. Mama and Maggie treat their objects with awe and respect, as a black person should, while Dee sees them as a folk creation that one can truly be proud of and show off to friends and acquaintances.
Work Cited
Walker, Alice, and Barbara Christian. Everyday Use. Rutgers University Press, 1994.