Help!!!! Need information about Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use"?

Question

I'm really confused with this story and I need to know the details about it.

Answer 1

In opposition to the first poster, I think Alice Walker was saying the exact opposite in "Everyday Use." She made Dee look ridiculous.

Dee is the prodigal daughter, returning from the big city with her newfound African heritage and pride. She has changed her appearance and married a man much like her. She has all the personality in the family, but still doesn't fit in with them.

The mother and Maggie are still living in the same house they have lived in for years. Even though Dee grew up there, she treats everything as a novelty and begs her mother for certain items to decorate her home with. Her mother is still using these items, but gives them to her anyway, except certain quilts that she has promised to Maggie.

The moral of the story is that your heritage is your family, not a place you came from 200 years ago. Dee wanted to celebrate her "heritage" by displaying "antiques" in her home, while Maggie and the mother celebrated their heritage by remembering how the items were made and using them every day. The best example of this is how Maggie tells her mother that Dee can have the quilts because her grandmother had shown her how to make the quilts herself. Maggie is living her heritage more than Dee, even though Dee has all the appearance of it.

Answer 2

Try : "Study Guide to Alice Walker's "Everyday Use", Kansas State University's Department of English : http://www.k-state.edu/english/baker/english251/sg-Walker-EU.htm

Answer 3

It's the story of a family. Dee seems to the average reader to be the rebel, the one who is ashamed of her family, of her heritage, but in reality, Dee is more concerned with the preservation of the heritage [the quilt, her goofy new name] than the rest of the family. They don't understand that Dee's change is for the good, not for the bad, even though they resist the change in favor for the daughter who stayed home and wants to use the quilt for her marriage bed. It's been a while since I read it, but poke about a bit on the internet for more explanations. It's really a great story!

Answer 4

The sites below have very complete summaries of the story and I think they would definitely assist you in understanding what you read. (see below)

http://www.123helpme.com/preview.asp?id=44648

http://appraisercentral.com/research/EVERY%20DAY%20USE1.htm