Everyday Use By Alice Walke The Difference Between Maggie And Dee

In the short story, “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, three distinct characters are depicted, Mama, Dee, and Maggie. Each have different qualities: Maggie is somewhat demure but humble, Mama is a hard-worker who tries her hardest to understand her daughters, and Dee is a vibrant, educated woman who has strong opinions which she is not hesitant to share (in stark contrast to her mother and sister). Mama and Maggie are often overshadowed by Dee’s vivacious personality, thus making their relationship to her somewhat strained. For example, Mama has done a lot for Dee to help her become the woman she wanted to be (“...we raised money, the church and me, to send her to Augusta to school.”), yet Dee doesn't really seem to understand or appreciate all of her mother’s hard work and instead sort of throws it back in Mama’s face by constantly making her feel inferior and uneducated (“...I am the way my daughter would want me to be: a hundred pounds lighter, my skin like an uncooked barley pancake”; “She [Dee] used to read to us [Mama and Maggie] without pity; forcing words, lies […] whole other lives upon us two, sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice.”).

The story “ Everyday use “ by Alice Walker is a story of a family consisted of Mama and her two daughters Dee and Maggie. Dee is one of the main characters that is an independent woman, educated and has complete different views from Mama and Maggie. She has a lot of qualities and she has her own different style, which makes her stand out through out the story. Mama is really loving, forgiving, independent, frank stronger than most men, and mild tempered. Their goes Maggie who is really quiet, not open-minded and is an innocent young woman who has yet to come into her own.

The relationships that Dee and Maggie and Doodle and the narrator have show that even though their older sibling acted mean and didn’t care about them as much as they would have wanted them to, Maggie and Doodle continued to look up to them no matter of what happens which explains reasons behind why the narrator and Dee treat Maggie and Doodle the way that they do. For example, Maggie treated her sister respectfully when she found out that Dee had asked her mother for the quilts that were going to be hers, and acted like she was okay with letting Dee have them instead of her when Maggie said “She can have them, I can'member Grandma Dee without the quilts.” (Walker 5). Similar to way Doodle acts when the narrator forces him to learn

In the short story, “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, a foil is shown between the two sisters in the story. While the two sisters, Maggie and Dee, are two way different girls, they are not completely different and they share some similarities like all sisters do. Maggie and Dee are an excellent example of how even if two sisters may be almost complete opposites, sisters always have some similarities to each other.

In “Everyday Uses” Alice Walker used the idea of Maggie and Dee, who had different experiences in their life. In the story the Mama decides to give one of her daughters the quilts, but the other daughter believes she is more deserving of the quilts. The Mama understood that Maggie would understand the true value of what the quilts mean to their family. Dee does not listen to her mother who tried to tell her the garments used to make the quilt. Dee still left with one of the quilts, but left telling her mother she does not understand her own heritage and needs improvement. Both daughters showed what family means to each of them.

Dee is an up-to-date member of society. Education, status, wealth, and geography have a lot to do with the shaping of Dee’s character. She is always the best dressed and most glamorous (12). Mamma and the church raise money to send Dee to school in Augusta (11). Maggie never got the opportunity to go to school to get a good education.

Alice Walker skillfully crafts the character of Dee Johnson in the short story "Everyday Use." From the first paragraph, Walker begins to weave the portrait of Dee, who at first seems shallow in many aspects. Dee becomes a more complex character, however, as the story unfolds. Blessed with both brains and good looks, Dee emerges as someone who is still struggling with her identity and heritage.

In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, the character of Dee is depicted as being arrogant, stylish, and selfish. Dee can be characterized as being arrogant due to how she treats her family as if she is better than them. When Dee first arrives at her family’s home, she takes a picture of her mother and sister without actually being present in the picture herself. This action shows how she chooses not to associate with her family as though she is superior to them. Additionally, Dee is depicted as being stylish based on her clothing choices. For her graduation, Dee had wanted a fancy yellow dress and when she arrives at her family’s home in the story, she wears a long dress despite the hot weather outside. Dee’s commitment to being

The short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, the story is about two sisters and a mother. Despite the family being poor, the mother works hard to provide for the both of her daughters. Dee is the eldest daughter and despises where she came from. Dee later on gains an education, attends college, and obtains a degree. In the story she is going through an identity crisis and changes her name to "Wanegro." On the other hand, Maggie is a shy young girl. At such a young age, she is still suffering from a tragic event. Maggie is intimidated by Dee; solely since Dee carries many accomplishments and her appearance. Soon after, Dee remembers the

In her short story “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker focuses on a rural family and their different interpretations of the African- American heritage. The story begins when Dee, the educated older daughter, comes to visit her Mama and younger sister, Maggie. The two sisters are completely different physically, mentally, and emotionally. Dee lives an educated and financially stable life with her boyfriend in the city, away from her family; while, Maggie lives an uneducated and poor life at home with her mother. Some may argue that there is no difference between Dee and Maggie’s Interpretations; however, Alice Walker uses characterization and different types of symbolism in her short story to show the difference between Dee and Maggie’s interpretations

Often we are told not to let the past define us, to do our own thing, to be even better than those before us, however, at times we find ourselves doing the same thing; some of us are forced; some of us are stuck. Maggie from the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, had an implied responsibly to keep her family’s tradition going. Looking up to her, at times cruel, sister Dee she watch as Dee reached new heights, went to school, but she new her role. Though she had a mom that loved her, Maggie fell into pain, envy, and low self-esteem not only because of her discourteous sister, but because of her well- know position in tradition. “… she will stand hopelessly in the corners homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs…”

In Alice Walker's "Everyday Use” she creates a conflict between characters. Walker describes a family as they anxiously await the arrival of, Dee, the older sister of the family. When Dee (Wangero) comes home to visit Mrs. Johnson and Maggie, right away the readers see the differences in the family by how they talk, act, and dress. Dee has changed her name to an "African" name and is collecting the objects and materials of her past. Dee thinks that since she is in college she knows mores then the rest of her uneducated family. She is more educated and looks down on the simple life of her mother and sister. When Dee asks for a beautiful family heirloom quilt to hang on her wall, Mrs. Johnson finally denies her of this task. Mrs. Johnson finally sees that Dee does not want the quilt for the same purpose as Maggie does. Instead, Mrs. Johnson will give Maggie the quilt to keep her and her husband warm. The theme of the importance of heritage becomes clear at this point of the story. This theme is shown by Walker's use of conflict, irony, and symbolism. All throughout her short story she incorporates heritage. She describes it as a background feeling between family members, and African heritage to heirlooms that have been in the family line for generations. Dee the older sister takes her heritage for granted by only wanting her heirlooms for her educational purposes.

Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” introduces a clash between generations. Now and then, Maggie and Dee.

The perception that having good looks is important than having a good education is a conception that should be highly criticized and rebuked. Even though having good looks can get one complements in life it still does not measure up to the importance that is stressed in education. Another symbol that is highly prevalent throughout the story is the television. This can be seen through Maggie who envisions her daughter and herself in one of the television shows. “Sometimes I dream a dream in which Dee and I are suddenly brought together on a TV program of this sort”.

In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, the two main characters, Maggie and Dee, are sisters who are very opposite to each other. Throughout the story, the girl’s differences become evident through their physical appearances, personalities, lifestyle decisions, and the way they feel about their heritage.