On the surface, Alice Walker's “Everyday Use” is, on some level, about a mother's dynamic relationship with her two daughters, who have contrasting attitudes toward both family and cultural roots. It is also a representation of the misguided and superficial pride that came from the civil rights movement. In his story, Walker compares those African Americans who accepted life and lived their culture by carrying on family traditions with those who fought for their identity, trying to “musealize” the past and showcase their culture. Walker's characters, Dee and Maggie, represent these contrasting perspectives in the struggle for African-American identity. His choice of detailed events, Southern setting, characters, and symbols in the Johnson family home work together to reveal the deeper meaning of the story and lead us to infer that Walker believes that African American heritage should be integrated into everyday life rather than preserved and displayed superficially. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Walker's story, Dee, the eldest daughter, returns home to her poor beginnings to visit her mother and sister after being away from school. Dee and her husband arrive at the dilapidated house with a somewhat dramatic entrance as her family recognizes her new look and style. They say an awkward goodbye, as tension is quickly felt when Mom and Maggie realize that Dee has changed her generational name to Wangero, African. Mom and Maggie can't pronounce African names, but they still humor the visitors with a very sarcastic tone. When everyone comes in to eat, we see that Dee suddenly loves everything she was previously embarrassed about. Clearly, black nationalism has changed Dee's perception of his origins. Dee continues to covet various family heirlooms such as the butter churn and two meaningful family quilts. Thanks to black pride and the civil rights movement, Dee now sees her home culture as elegant and wants to use family heirlooms for decoration. Mom always took care of Dee and gave her everything she wanted, but in this case she promised Maggie the quilts. While Maggie agrees to give them to Dee, Mom finally stands up to Dee by grabbing the quilts and giving them to Maggie. Describing events with this level of detail is important because it allows the reader to see the nuances of cultural difference and family disagreement. The setting must be taken into consideration to fully understand the assumptions that play a role in each of the character's attitudes. “Everyday Use” is set in the early 1970s, when African Americans were struggling to find an identity after segregation and racial discrimination were outlawed in the United States. Black power and African pride movements emerged during this time, as many wanted to rediscover their African roots and change their way of life. Some, like Dee, went too far. Overly motivated by the civil rights movement, Dee began to reject the American part of her heritage altogether. Mom asks her older daughter, “What happened to Dee?” and Wangero replies: “She is dead, I could no longer bear it, given the name of the people who oppress me” (67). “Everyday Use” is set in the Johnson family's three-bedroom shack with a tin roof (and) “just a few holes drilled in the sides” for windows (66). The practicality of the living situation once again shows the differences between the characters. Mom andMaggie appreciates the simplicity and value of everyday objects and a functional place to live. Even after the civil rights movement they continue to value both the African and American parts of their culture. Dee/Wangero can only accept the family home ironically, seeing it as some sort of quaint historical piece rather than a real living home. Walker's characterization of Mama, Maggie, and Dee further clarifies the theme of everyday use. Their attitudes toward pride and heritage are revealed through their reactions to each other and to everyday objects in the home. The main character and narrator, Mrs. Johnson (Mama) describes herself as “a large, bony woman with rough, manly hands” (65). She is an extremely strong, independent and proud woman. Although she only has a second-grade education, Mrs. Johnson understands the changing times and states, “In 1972 [people] of color asked fewer questions than they do now” (66). She is balanced and happy with her surroundings and her lifestyle. Although she worked hard to provide for her daughters, Mom always felt like she couldn't live up to the expectations of her oldest daughter, Dee. In the end she finds the means to oppose Dee in the name of what she, mother, knows is right. Dee is said to have a style all her own. She's much quirkier than her mother, who says Dee always wanted good things growing up, and was always on the path to higher education. Dee often read to Mom and Maggie during school days: “Without mercy; imposing other people's words, lies, habits, entire lives on the two of us, sitting trapped and ignorant... it washed us in a river of pretence, burned us with a lot of knowledge we didn't necessarily need to know." (66 ). Dee has always believed that she was destined for greater things than her family and that she was superior to them. Mother says that Dee once “wrote to me that no matter where we choose to live, she will be able to come visit us” (66), a condescending promise from someone who was becoming well-educated and sophisticated in school. Dee, however, is also very self-centered and becomes (or has always been) ignorant of her family's values ​​and her own materialistic nature. Dee's change in name, appearance, and values ​​reflects her new attitude toward her culture. Maggie, unlike Dee, is portrayed as thin, weak, shy, and not as intelligent as her sister, although she ironically proves to be more knowledgeable about her culture and ancestral roots. Maggie is uncomfortable because she was physically injured in the fire that burned down the Johnsons' first home. Mother notes that "Maggie will be nervous until her sister is gone: she will stand helplessly in the corners, plain and ashamed of the burn scars along her arms and legs, looking at her sister with a mixture of envy and awe." (65). Though simple and quiet, Maggie's sense of pride is both genuine and practical. The family quilts remind her of her ancestors, and she respects their struggles. Her daily use of quilts shows how she would continue to integrate her heritage into her life rather than using them to show off African style. Maggie's character is contrasted with Dee's, emphasizing the difference between their sense of pride and their culture. The central symbol of this story are the family quilts. They represent the ancestral history and generational ties of the Johnson family, connecting the present and the past. Quilts are also used to distinguish genuine, practical pride from superficial interest. Another symbol is the mother's action of taking the quilts back from Dee and giving them,, 2007. 64-70.