Dee ransacks the trunk at the foot of Mama’s bed, reappearing with
two quilts made
by her mother, aunt, and grandmother. … Dee says that the priceless quilts will be destroyed. Mama says that Maggie knows how to quilt and can make more. Maggie shuffles in and, trying to make peace, offers Dee the quilts.
What does this was Maggie’s portion mean?
She looked at her sister with something like fear but she wasn’t mad at her. This was Maggie’s portion.
This was the way she knew God to work
. ( 75) The narrator sees that Maggie has basically resigned to accepting the injustices of the world, even relatively small injustices like her sister always getting everything.
What household items does Dee want?
In “Everyday Use,” Dee asks to have the quilts,
a butter churner, and a dasher
. Dee wants the churner and the dasher because Uncle Buddy whittled them from a tree that used to be on the Johnson’s land. Maggie, however, corrects Dee and tells her that the dasher was actually whittled by Aunt Dee’s first husband, Henry.
What does Dee want to do with the quilts?
Dee wants
to preserve the quilts and protect them
from the harm her sister might inflict, but she shows no true understanding of their inherent worth as a family totem. She relegates the objects to mere display items.
Why does Dee take pictures of the house?
In “Everyday Use,” Dee takes pictures of the house
because she wants to have material proof of her “heritage
.” She isn’t interested in the stories or the traditions of her family so much as she’s interested in physical evidence of her humble origins.
What does Dee mean when she says it’s a new day for us?
What does Dee mean when she says: “It’s a new day for us?” Dee is
saying they do the same thing everyday, get a better job that is equal for civil rights since African Americans aren’
t treated equally.
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.
What is the conflict between Maggie and Dee?
What is the main conflict in everyday use? 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.
Why does Dee think Maggie should not have the quilts?
Dee thinks the quilts should be preserved as art objects; not used up. Why does Dee think that Maggie should not have the quilts? Dee says
her mother doesn’t understand that the hand-stitched quilts are important and should be preserved
.
Why does the narrator give Maggie the quilts instead of letting Dee take them?
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 is Dee angry at the end of the story?
At the end of the story, Dee, who was always brighter, better-looking, and favored, is angry
because her mother refuses to give the quilts which she, Grandma Dee, and Big Dee made over the years
.
Why does Maggie want the quilts?
Unlike her sister, Dee, Maggie loves the family quilts
because she knows the people whose lives and stories are represented by them
. She even knows how to quilt herself. Her mother has promised Maggie the quilts, which Dee has already once refused, when she gets married because they are meaningful to her.
Why does Dee want the quilts Now why didn’t Dee want them in college Why does Maggie get them?
Expert Answers
Dee wants the old quilts for several reasons but mainly
because she wants to display them as part of her “heritage” in her home in the city
. She does not believe that they are appreciated in the country with Maggie and Mama because they actually use the quilts.
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 most likely reason that Dee takes pictures of her mother and Maggie when she first arrives at the house?
In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, what is the most likely reason that Dee takes pictures of her mother and Maggie when she first arrives at the house?
Dee has distanced herself so much from her mother and Maggie that seeing their house was like seeing an exhibit in a museum.
What does Dee look like in everyday use?
Dee wears a
brightly colored, yellow-and-orange, ankle-length dress
that is inappropriate for the warm weather. Her hair stands up straight on top and is bordered by two long pigtails that hang down in back. Dee is educated, worldly, and deeply determined, not generally allowing her desires to be thwarted.
