IndexHeritage SymbolsCharacter ConflictConclusionWorks CitedAlice Walker's "Everyday Use" is the narrative of a rural African-American family struggling to understand their heritage. The Johnson family embodies the conflicts and struggles of African American families to maintain their culture and values. The story involves Dee, an educated girl who visits her mother, Mrs. Johnson, and Dee's sister, Maggie. Walker's use of character conflicts and symbols illustrates the importance, and declining nature, of the perception of heritage in modern times. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Symbols of HeritageWalker uses symbolism to show Mrs. Johnson and Dee's different views of cultural heritage. Even though they both come from the same socio-cultural background, their motivations and understanding of heritage are different. In one scenario, Dee admires a churn and asks her mother if she can have it. He says, “I can use the churn as a centerpiece for the alcove table…and I will think of something artistic to do with the dasher.” (page 31). It is clear that Dee values ​​the tool and identifies it as part of her heritage, but her plan to use it as a centerpiece for her alcove table is contrary to the views of Mrs. Johnson, who uses it as a tool for churning butter. The top of the churn is a symbol of Mrs. Johnson and Dee's different perceptions of their heritage. Walker's use of symbolism is evident when Dee walks through her mother's truck and comes out with two quilts. The quilts were made of different scrolls worn by their relatives since the Civil War. Dee borrows the quilts, but Mrs. Johnson reminds her of her promise to leave them with Maggie, and offers Dee more quilts instead. Dee persists and says, "Maggie can't appreciate these quilts... She'd probably be backward enough to use them every day." (page 130). Dee tells Mrs. Johnson that she plans to hang the quilts on the wall. This implies that Dee's perception of heritage is that it is artistic and tangible. Maggie tells Mrs. Johnson to give Dee the quilts stating that she can "remember Grandma Dee without the quilts" (p.131). It becomes apparent to Mrs. Johnson that Maggie truly values ​​their legacy, and her knowledge of how to knit a quilt affirms that she understands that legacy is made of knowledge and memories, not tangible objects. Character Conflict Finally, Walker uses character conflict to show the differences in how Mrs. Johnson and Maggie understand inheritance and how Dee perceives it. Mrs. Johnson is described as "a large, bony woman with rough, manly hands" (p.11). She is a hard working woman and takes pride in her efforts on the farm. Likewise, Maggie works hard, having learned to knit quilts from Grandma Dee's teaching. Mrs. Johnson observes that Maggie's eyes "seem wide open, wide open with flames" (p. 25) – a reference to the burns that affected her in early childhood. Mrs. Johnson realizes that Maggie's legacy is connected to the burning house and her scars are part of it. It is evident that both Mrs. Johnson and Maggie are self-sufficient and in touch with their traditions. Dee, on the other hand, has completely lost touch with her heritage. He changes his name in an attempt to identify with his African origins, of which he knows nothing. Furthermore, the fact that Dee simply watched the house being razed may suggest that she does not identify the house as part of her, 9.