Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use” gives us an intuitive look at the exemplification of the harmonization, clashes, and struggles surrounding the African-American culture as well as how far some go to reject theirs. Walker was born the child of sharecroppers in rural Georgia.
The focus here pertains to an encounter between family members and the role Dee plays in the situation. Dee brings her male companion with her when she returns to visit her mom and sister. Dee’s male mate, for example, has accepted a Muslim name and declines to eat pork and collard greens, thus negating to take part in the traditional African-American culture. Because Dee in now educated there are two different analyses of, or approaches to their culture. Walker engagements characterizes and symbols highlight the change between these versions and finally uphold one of them, displaying that culture and heritage are parts of day to day life. This story, made up of a single mom and her two daughters. Maggie the youngest daughter, was burned badly when their house burned down. She tread softly through life ever since and clung to Mama for safekeeping.
Walker states that Maggie’s big sister, “Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure …Impressed with her (Dee) they (her friends) worshiped the well-turned phrase, the cute shape, the scalding humor that erupted like bubbles in lye…Her feet were always neat-looking, as if God himself had shaped them with a certain style” (Walker 170,171,172). At age sixteen Dee knew that she wanted a particular style and knew she wanted and would have more than the accepted lifestyle of her mom and sister, as if she strives to be better than them. Her beauty when compared to Mama and Maggie for those two good looks was non-existent.
Dee, was truly Maggie’s opposite. She was also characterized as being educated. “I use to think she (Dee) hated Maggie, too. But that was before we raised the money, the church and me (Mama) to send her (Dee) to Augusta to school” (Walker 171). Dee’s education was exceptionally important in building her character, nonetheless it separated her from her family. People made sacrifices for her to get educated and to have the nice things in life; she took it as an opportunity to shun them.
A lesson learned by Dee early in life was acting sophisticated was not merely enough. When she dated Jimmy she gave all her attention to him and had time for no other. As a teen she fell head over heels for him; who then left