The family quilts
become this focal point.
What do the quilts represent to Maggie at the end of everyday use?
The quilts represent
Maggie’s triumph at being chosen over dee to receive something
. In this case, the concrete object is the family’s antique heirloom quilts Mama promised Maggie would inherit upon her marriage to John Thomas.
What is a possible theme 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
.
How are Maggie and Dee different?
Expert Answers
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.
What differences does the narrator of everyday use see between Maggie and Dee?
How does the narrator of “Everyday Use” see her two daughters differently? A.
She sees Maggie as a clever girl with a quick mind, but she thinks that Dees is less intelligent as a slow learner
. … She sees Maggie as a shy girl who hides in the shadows, but she thinks that Dee is a show-off who makes her opinions known.
What is the moral of Everyday Use?
Through Dee, “Everyday Use”
explores how education affects the lives of people who come from uneducated communities
, considering the benefits of an education as well as the tradeoffs. Alice Walker clearly believes that education can be, in certain ways, helpful to individuals.
What does Maggie symbolize in Everyday Use?
Maggie, her sister, is a
symbol of respect and passion for the past
. Mama tells the story of her daughter Dee’s arrival. Told from first person narrative, Mama’s point of view offers an insight into the mother figure who appreciates her heritage while also representing a symbol of living history.
What is the significance of Mama remembering having been hooked in the side by a cow in 49?
What is the significance of Mama remembering having been “hooked in the side by a cow in ’49”? –
Like a cow, Mama has a strong spirit and is always ready for a fight. – Like a cow is mild mannered, Mama is mild mannered and will always give in to Dee.
Why does Mama give the quilt to Maggie?
When Mama gives the quilts the Maggie,
she ensures that the family heritage will stay alive in the manner she prefers
. By using the quilts and making her own when they wear out, Maggie will add to the family’s legacy, rather than distancing herself from it.
Why are the quilts valuable to Maggie?
For Maggie, the quilts have a functional and sentimental beauty, and they are meant to be used. The family quilts have become valuable to
Dee only because she wishes to gather some artifacts from her former home
.
How does Dee feel about Maggie?
She suggests that Maggie would not appreciate the quilts and would instead put them to everyday use.
Dee feels a sense of entitlement
, which defines her relationship with Maggie. Maggie is a shy, introverted girl. She has scars on her arms and legs from the fire that burned her house about twelve years ago.
Why do you think Mama is closer with Maggie than she is with Dee?
Why do you think Mama is closer with Maggie than she is with Dee? Mama is closer to Maggie
because Maggie followed her mom’s foot steps
. She was also living with her mother and she was passionate about using things for everyday use, unlike Dee who only used things for the purpose of art.
Why does the narrator want Maggie to have the quilts instead of Dee?
Mama, the narrator, ultimately gives the family quilts to Maggie instead of Dee (Wangero)
because she recognizes that Dee gets everything she wants, that she’s even already claimed the quilts as her own
, because they were promised to Maggie, and because Maggie is the daughter who wants them for the right reasons.
Why does Dee change her name?
Dee tells her mother that she has changed her name to
Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo to protest being named after the people who have oppressed her
. Mama tells Dee that she was in fact named after her Aunt Dicie, who was named after Grandma Dee, who bore the name of her mother as well.
How does Mama treat Maggie in everyday use?
In “Everyday Use,” Dee treats Mama and Maggie extremely disrespectfully,
taking photos of the family home as though she is a tourist and helping herself to various items from their home
. She also lectures them about how they should live their lives, failing to see that they are happy with the life they already have.
Both girls come from the same background, and they are both beautiful in their own ways…
Dee more ostentatious and outgoing, Maggie in a spiritual and loyal way
due to her scars and low self-esteem.
