Alice Walker gives her short story the title “Everyday Use” because two main characters practice their traditions and cultural values and do not see them as very unique. They observe these aspects daily, and to them, it is a normal lifestyle. The characters that can be considered ‘people of everyday use’ are Maggie and Mama (Maggie and Dee’s mother).
The sympathetic characters are Maggie and her mother. Maggie’s scars are a result of being burnt in the house. However, she is presented as a humble lady. Maggie’s mother is a hardworking woman, who performs even those tasks that were traditionally men’s. Dee is the unsympathetic character; she celebrated when their house burnt, hated their lifestyle, and did not want to be identified with her family. However, her attitude changes at the end because she misses her home (takes photographs of their house and family), and wants to be allowed to go back to the city with some of the family possessions.
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One important lesson from the story is that social or financial advancement does not necessarily make people better. Despite Dee being advanced socially, she is not satisfied, there is something she misses; her culture. It seems people will always want to have an identity, and that is culture, no matter their humble background.
The quilts represent the cultural heritage or identity of the family. Some pieces of cloths from Maggie and Dee’s grandparents had been used to sew the quilts. Dee did not want those that had been sewn using machines. The hand-sewn quilts had a lot of value, as demonstrated by Dee’s desire to have them. Their mother wanted Maggie to keep them because she valued and practiced culture daily. Dee would only keep them as a sign of identity and not practice their culture.
Heritage, according to the story, is very important. However, heritage in the story means that individuals practice their traditions daily. In the story, Maggie’s mother has a more realistic understanding of heritage because she observes their culture strictly, and would want to pass the skills and values to Maggie who practiced their way of life daily. Dee lacks a realistic understanding of heritage because she only wants to use it for identity but does not want to practice it.
The end of the story shows how valuable culture and heritage is. People must always belong somewhere to be satisfied or happy. People cannot entirely ignore their heritage in the pursuit of happiness. Dee realizes the importance of heritage in the end, but probably cannot practice their culture because she rejected it for many years. Maggie will need to understand how much culture and heritage is important so that she does not end up in a situation similar to Dee’s. What Maggie considers things of everyday use may be very valuable to other people. She should not take them for granted.
Reference
Walker, A. (1994). Everyday use . Rutgers University Press.
