The Usability of Symbolism in Everyday Use by Alice Walker Essay

Alice Walkers “Everyday Use”, is a story about a family of African Americans that are faced with moral issues involving what true inheritance is and who deserves it. Two sisters and two hand stitched quilts become the center of focus for this short story. Walker paints for us the most vivid representation through a third person perspective of family values and how people from the same environment and upbringing can become different types of people.

Many authors use symbolism to help their readers grasp the concepts they are trying to convey. They take concrete items or ideas to represent something abstract.

In the book ‘How to read literature like a professor’ the author uses symbolism throughout the book. Foster uses this technique so he can use objects, and short stories to help the readers understand what is really going on without being blunt about it. Symbolism is using an object or word to represent an idea. This style of writing challenges the reader to use their imagination to really grasp what is really going on.

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change” (Dyer). Symbolism is a technique that helps add interest, create meaning and illustrate emotion in a story. The use of repeated symbolism is an example of how authors unify their writing in stories. Additionally, Symbolism adds a deeper level of meaning to passages written in literature. To some this symbolism is seen as a monotonous repetition that becomes mechanical at times. Authors do this by showing that one item is being represented by other items to help readers find a connection while they are reading. The short story The Scarlet Ibis, by James Hurst is a great example where symbolism is used as it depicts a troubling story where two brothers learn the importance of family.

This also tied back to the way she was fighting for African American rights, not only in a political way but also in her art. She helped changed the way Old Negros looked, raggedy clothes and sometimes no clothes to the way New Negros looked, with angelic robes. She helps portray a way African Americans were not commonly portrayed before. Even in her Gamin a simple sculpture bust of her nephew, helped change the way people view African Americans. Just because he is a street urchin, does not mean he does not have emotions and deep

Symbolism is defined as the artistic use of imagery and indirect suggestion to portray mystical or non-literal meaning. An object representing something else is given an entirely different meaning that is much deeper can be considered a symbol. Allegory can be used as a device to aid in character development if used correctly by the author. In two works of literature Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin and in Zora Neale Hurston’s, Sweat, this can be appreciated and seen by the reader.

In the story, a family heirloom becomes a conflict because while Dee wants to take the quilt to decorate her home, Maggie would make better use of the quilts by using them instead of framing them. This quilt that has been passed down from generation to generation, is symbolic of the love that both the older generations and the present generation has for each other. The quilt also symbolizes the strength of the family and the stitching is symbolic of the bonds that hold a family together. Mama ultimately decides that the quilt will go to Maggie because Dee does not understand the practicality of the quilt which is that they were from pieces of clothes that were lived in, which represented their past. Alice Walker was also emphasizing that it is the woman in the family that have held and currently hold families together by depicting closeness of the female relationships.

Her ability to consistently attain successful work throughout her life elevated her status in the community. The work that allowed her to achieve standing also served as the catalyst for her initial questioning of her surroundings, and allowed her to fully realize the extent that the system was stacked against black Americans. However; this realization led to an empowerment capable of fighting the forces that worked against her, rather than the fearful subservience of fellow members of the Black community, including her mother and younger sister.

Alice Walker’s use of first person point of view allows us to form closer connections to the story by enabling the reader to better understand Mama’s views. The role of Mama as narrator helps us transgress through a story that when first read, seems like a fairly simple story about a Black woman, her two distinct daughters, and a quilt with an undetermined destination. Upon closer reading and analysis of the role of Mama as narrator, it is apparent that this is not just a simple tale of a Black woman, her two daughters and a quilt, but the story of Black women, their heritage, and the quilt as a symbol for that heritage and the generations of history associated with that heritage. Through Mama’s narration we will see Mama’s internal

Different types of symbolism are used to add significance to point out uniqueness in connotations that a writer uses when writing literature. An author’s literary works may include multiple symbols to give perception to his or her readers. When a writer uses a symbol, it is intended to heighten the sense a reader’s communication of literary works. The three key symbols in the short story in “Everyday Use” is that of quilts stored away in a trunk, the house, and hands. The quilts represented the African American’s women talent of creativity from those that were made from by other individuals from other people. It is noted that the quilts depicted that a guiding principle during the time of slavery for which they were used to send a form of communication to other slaves (Kirszner and Mandell, 2012). As stated by Kirszner and Mandell (2012), “One design, the Log Cabin, was hung outside to mark a house of refuge for fugitive slaves. Other quilts mapped escape routes out of a plantation or county, often by marking the stars that would act as a guide to freedom for those escaping at night” (page. 345). When slavery came to an end, the quilts created during this period of time were remembered for their significance of ethnicity and legendary importance by the African Americans. Dee was the daughter of the momma who thought it would be better to change her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo as she did not want to carry the heritage name as it seem to trouble her. Dee looks around for items that she can back home with rather than spend valuable time with her mama and Maggie. Suddenly takes notice a truck that is sitting at the end of her mama’s bed, and she pulls out two quilts that were made by her very own ancestors. Dee requests to take the quilts home with her; however, the mama informs her that she had plans to give them to Maggie upon her marriage. Dee was selfish as she wanted them for herself only to display them on a wall, and requested the ones that were completely sewn by hand. The mother suddenly reminisces how the different pieces had a story behind them about herself and her heritage. Why, the quilts were made to be put on a bed. Dee had an opportunity to take a quilt with her when she went off to college

“ A dress down to the ground… yellows and oranges enough to throw back the light of the sun. Earrings gold, too…Bracelets dangling and making noises…” Her hair, “stands straight up like the wool on a sheep.” (183, Walker). This is how Mrs. Johnson describes her daughter‘s new appearance. Although Mrs. Johnson does not disapprove of Dee’s new African fashion she is not comfortable with it. Dee had taken on the task to flash her African roots while she failed to understand the true meaning of her heritage. Dee makes the mistake of believing that one’s heritage is something that one puts on to display. Mrs. Johnson does not display African fashion. Nonetheless she knows the true meaning of her heritage; something that Dee does not seem to understand. Through “Everyday use”, Walker conveys that culture and heritage are taught from one generation to the next and it is not suddenly acquired and definitely it is not something that one suddenly puts on.

Alice Walker in an American novelist, short-story writer, and poet known for her famous novel The Color Purple. She has won both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. Her writings focus on multi-generational periods and inter-connecting black women in the North and the South. Although she is widely known for his novels, her short stories are equally spectacular. Walker is known for incorporating symbolism, imagery, and tone in her writing.

Symbolism is a literary technique that is used to clarify the author's intent. Sometimes it is used to great effect, while other times it only seems to muddle the meaning of a passage. In "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne uses objects and people as symbols to allegorically reveal his message to the reader.

In another instance, a group of "po' white trash children" confront Momma at her store, taunting her. As Renee Barlow notes, "They were represented as clownish, dirty, and rather silly. On the other hand, Mama simply stood like a rock and sang the Gospel. Her beauty of soul versus their disgusting antics creates a powerful scene about the nature of the oppressed and the oppressor. Marguerite, meanwhile, lies crouched behind the screen in agony at the inability of her class to command respect simply because of their color. Then, as the scene progresses, she understands that in spite of the disparity of power between the po'white trash and Mama, Mama has won" (Barlow, 861927397.html). She has won not because she has outsmarted the white youths or even -- strictly speaking -- overpowered them, but because she has outclassed them.

Symbolism in literature is using an object to portray a different, deeper meaning in a story. Symbols represent ideas or qualities that the author has maneuvered into his or her story that has meaning. There can be multiple symbols in a story or just one. It is up to the reader to interpret the meaning of the symbols and their significance to the story. While reading a story, symbols may not become clear until the very end, once the climax is over, and the falling action is covered. In William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily,” there are multiple examples of symbolism that occur throughout the story.