Essay Maggie Character Analysis from "Everyday Use"

Alice Walker creates characters that support the theme. Maggie is a kind-hearted, quiet girl that lives at home with Mama. Dee is a boisterous, stubborn college student that returns home in hopes of retrieving objects that represent

It is crucial to first fully understand the character Maggie in “Everyday Use” and “Recitatif.” This will help the readers have knowledge of the characters so that they will have a first-hand grasp on the physical similarities of these characters. In both stories, Maggie is described as having a physical deformity. In “Everyday Use,” Maggie is described as having “burn scars down her arms and legs” (Walker 315). Mama still remembers how she carries out Maggie, badly burned out of their previous house. When Maggie showed herself wearing the pink skirt and red blouse later in the story, she is described by Mama as a “lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him? That is the way my Maggie walks” (Walker 316). The reader becomes aware that she

In Alice Walker's “Everyday Use” she uses a tactic to set a mood for the reader by bringing in the character Maggie. Walker's use of language when describing Maggie creates a picture of a physically scarred and unintelligent girl. Maggie's physical scarring is pointed out

The author of “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker, portrays that society values people like Dee more so than Maggie. The two sisters in the story are described as two complete opposites in personality, how they carry themselves, and even overall appearance. Walker describes Maggie with a quote, “she has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground” (71). This description of Maggie relates to someone who is clearly shy, not very confident, and appears closed off to the world. Society does not appear to value people who are not very confident and not open to the world in general. Describing the illiteracy of Maggie also adds to the view of society valuing Dee over Maggie.

Alice Walker demonstrates the importance of heritage through Dee's thoughtless actions and Maggie's actions during her daily life.

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

     Maggie is shamed from her scares of being burnt by their previous house. As her mother describes, "She has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to

     Maggie is illustrated as Dee’s foil. Dee is everything that Maggie cannot be externally. Maggie is implemented into the story to provide a greater emphasis on

The way the burning house, her stuck-up sister, and society influenced Maggie make her unique in relation to others. Maggie was so damaged from her home burning down that she turned into a meek and undervalued young lady. Maggie is so unsure that her mother says she walks like a dog run over by a car: “chin on chest eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house on the ground.” This demonstrates that Maggie absence of self-confidence make her frightened to look. She imagines that on the off chance that she can’t see the individuals around her, then they can’t see her. What’s more, Maggie’s discernible scars have impacted on the way she conducts herself. As indicated by Mama, when she was pulling Maggie out of the fire, her arms were adhering, “her hair was smoking, and her dress was tumbling off her in minimal dark papery pieces.” This is huge light of the fact that indicates how much the flame really physically scarred her. This additionally clarifies why she is so apprehensive about individuals seeing her. Maggie’s apparent compressed version of confirmation in herself is created basically by the fire. The barbaric way Maggie’s sister, Dee, presents herself awful impact on Maggie’s certainly. At this point when Dee inquired as to whether she can have some unique quilts and Mama says no on the grounds that she

This happened as a result of the violence shown to her from Mary; she does not trust her mother. Her mother then proceeds to, later on in Maggie’s life, kick Maggie out of the apartment because she does not like Maggie’s boyfriend, Pete. Mary tells Maggie “Yeh’ve gone the deh devil, Mag Johnson, yehs knows yehs have gone the deh devil. Yer a disgrace the yer people, damn yeh. An’ now, git out an’ go ahn wid dat doe-faced jude of yours. Go the hell wid him, damn yeh, an’ good riddance. Go the hell an’ see how yeh likes it,” (27). This verbal abuse is something which Maggie has lived with all her life. This quote is the climax in Maggie’s life. The abuse from her mother pushes her out of the apartment and to her subsequent death. All of the abuse and violence influenced Maggie and caused her to have a messed up life.

While the two sisters perspectives on heritage contrast each other, Walker employs a case of dramatic irony to prove that Dee's perspective is wrong, which automatically proves that Maggie is right, considering their opposite characteristics. Dee

What’s Maggie’s smile have to do with anything? Why is it important for me to know the significance of Maggie’s smile? These are some questions that I would like to know the answer to as a reader of the short story Everyday Use (for your grandma) by Alice walker. In order to get to the bottom of what’s behind Maggie’s smile there is some analyzing to do. The author used a great approach, by setting the stage with a background of the characters. In my opinion all the main characters that play a major role in the buildup of Maggie’s smile ,are Dee the oldest sister, Mama (which whom is never given a real name), and their ancestors. There are other things which contribute to the importance of Maggie’s smile, but won’t make any sense without the characters background. With that being said Maggie, Dee, and Mama were in a house fire which resulted in a complete contrast between the two sisters. Maggie suffered from third degree burns whilst escaping the house fire. From then on out the oldest sister Dee was the center of attention, which made Maggie self-conscious.

Maggie the younger sister lived with her mother and liked the life of her living with her mother. Dee didn't like that poor old-fashioned life and she wants to be rich and to forget about this poor family and to live her actual way of life as an African-American. Mama liked their way of life and didn't want to change it and also Maggie liked it and didn't want to change it.

Maggie and Dee have completely different physical appearances than each other. Maggie has a thin body figure, and her arms and legs are scarred from the house fire. Maggie is jealous of Dee’s beauty, and she seems to be ashamed of the way she looks. Mama says, “Maggie will be nervous until after her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her

Dee's physical beauty can be defined as one of her biggest assets. The fact that Maggie sees Dee "with a mixture of envy and awe" (160) lets the reader know that Dee has the more favorable appearance. The simplistic way in which Walker states that “Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure,” (161) gives the reader the idea that Dee's beauty has made it easier for her to be accepted outside her family in society, “…her sister has held life always in the palm of one hand, that ‘no’ is a word the world never learned to say to her,” (160). One is left with the impression that Dee's appearance is above average. Walker plays on Dee's physical beauty to contrast the homeliness of Maggie and her mother. Walker goes so far as to describe her feet as being more favorable as if God only wanted Dee to have pretty feet, “Her feet were always