Furthermore, Dee
views her real heritage as dead, something of the past
, rather than as a living, ongoing creation. She desires the carved dasher and family quilts, but she sees them as artifacts of a lost time, suitable for display but not for actual, practical use.
Why does Dee reject her heritage?
Dee has forgotten her heritage
because she has embraced some of the philosophy of the Black Power Movement
, a movement which wished to establish an identity for African-Americans completely apart from white history.
How do Dee and Mama view their heritage differently?
Mama and Dee have very different ideas about what “heritage” is, and
for Mama, the family objects are infused with the presence of the people who made and used them
. The family heirlooms are the true tokens of Dee's identity and origins, but Dee knows little about the past.
What does Dee think she knows about her heritage How does the narrator's viewpoint on that differ?
Dee thinks Mama and Maggie don't understand their heritage because they don't change from it
. In Dee's mind, Maggie and Mama lack the “Ethnic Pride” to leave the historical borders and live a prosperous life. In saying ‘”You ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie.
How does Dee view the family heirlooms?
While Dee views the family heirlooms
with distanced appreciation with
which one might view an artifact in a museum or an antique from a shop, Maggie and Mama view the family heirlooms as connections to family members who have passed.
What is causing tension between Dee and Mama?
Another cause of the tension between Mama and Dee is
the vast difference in their lifestyles
. While Mama has always admired Dee's sense of style, it has also been a point from which Dee, who later renames herself “Wangero,” looks down upon her mother and her sister, Maggie.
Why is Dee different from Mama and Maggie?
Maggie is “homely,” shy, and has scars from her burns.
Dee is lighter, “with nicer hair and a fuller figure
.” Maggie looks at Dee with “envy and awe.” Maggie feels that life has always been easier for Dee than for her.
Is Dee being true to her heritage in everyday use?
Angered by what she views as a history of oppression in her family, Dee has constructed a new heritage for herself and
rejected her real heritage
.
What does Dee mean when she says mama doesn't understand their heritage?
When Dee/Wangero tells her mother, “You just don't understand… your heritage,” she implies
that hand-made artistic items in their family should be put on display instead of being used
. … Dee has rejected her birth name, which comes from Dicie, a family name traceable to the Civil War, in favor of Wangero.
What is the main idea of everyday use?
The main themes in Alice Walker's “Everyday Use” are
the Black Consciousness movement, rural versus urban Black identity, and tradition, heritage, and ownership
.
What family heirloom does Mama give Maggie?
The quilt
signifies the family pride and history, which is important to Mama. She makes the decision to give the quilt to Maggie who will appreciate it more than Dee, to whom she says, “God knows I been saving 'em for long enough with…show more content…
Why is Maggie shy in public in Everyday Use?
According to Mama, Maggie walks like a lame animal with her head bent down. Much of Maggie's shyness has
to do with the physical and mental trauma she endured in the fire
.
What is the conflict between Dee and Maggie over?
The main conflict of the story “Everyday Use” is
that Dee wants the quilt to show off with her friends, but mama wants to give the quilt to Maggie, because she thinks Maggie will “use” it everyday
; not just showing off their heritage everyday.
What does Dee symbolize in Everyday Use?
Dee is
a symbol of success
, accompanied by her lack of remembrance and care for her ancestral history. Maggie, her sister, is a symbol of respect and passion for the past. Mama tells the story of her daughter Dee's arrival.
What is the conflict between Dee and Mama in Everyday Use?
One of the main reasons why there is conflict between Mama and Dee is
because they see things differently
. Mama thinks her way of life living on the farm is a day-to-day life, and is necessary to survive. Dee sees her Mama's farm life as rural and prehistoric.
Is Mama hostile to Dee?
Despite her willingness to operate outside of conventions, Mama lacks a broad view of the world and is, to some extent,
intimidated by Dee
. She doesn't understand Dee's life, and this failure to understand leads her to distrust Dee.
