Essay about The Characters of Everyday Use - 760 Words

The Characters of Everyday Use â€Å"Everyday Use† is a short story written by a 1940’s black writer, Alice Walker. She did a fantastic job illustrating her characters. There are different types of character in her story from round to static. Her use of clear-cut symbolism prompts the reader to be able to take a deeper look into the characters of the story. When reading this story I felt anger for Dee, while for the narrator and Maggie I felt sympathy. It was easy to feel anger and disrespect for the character Dee. She was described as lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure (444). From the very beginning of the story Dee showed herself as selfish and this trait was shown from her throughout the story. Dee wrote to†¦show more content†¦She seemed to be struggling with her identity and heritage. The narrator described herself as large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands. She said she can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man, and her fat keeps her hot in zero weather (444). She seemed to be a hard working woman, who differently from Dee is proud of her heritage and where she came from. It is understood she knew she may not have had the best life possible, but made the best of it. She knew Dee was the successful, popular child, but once Dee returned home with a changed name she saw her in a different light. She realized Dee’s doings were from throwing out the cultural heritage she belonged to into the new, hip black movement. She seemed to appreciate Maggie more after Dee tried to remove things from their house to show off. When Dee argued with her about giving the quilts to her instead of Maggie who was used to never winning, or having anything reserved for her the mother grabbed the quilts from Dee and handed them to Maggie. The mother is very grateful for her children, but is not going to let Dee, the daughter who has â€Å"made it†, take over the quilts meant for Maggie onc e she married. Maggie, the youngest daughter, saw herself as a shy, introverted youthful woman. She had scars mentally and physically from when their house had burned down some years before, and she is very ashamed of them. Once Dee and herShow MoreRelatedCharacter Uses In Alice Walkers Everyday Use1095 Words   |  5 Pages The short story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker begins with the narrator, Mama, and her daughter, Maggie, sitting in the yard that they both prepared and cleaned the day before. They were waiting for Dee, the oldest daughter, that is returning from college in Augusta after seven years of education. Maggie is going to be nervous for as long as Dee stays because of the scars and burns marks she got from the fire in their previous house. Maggie thinks that Dee has a much easier life than herRead MoreWhat Are The Characters In Everyday Use By Alice Walker1019 Words   |  5 PagesWhen I first read Everyday Use by Alice Walker I noticed the di fference between the two character Dee and Maggie. So, I decided I would focus the majority of my energy on the concept of the two sisters being the inner voices in ones head. My favorite part of Everyday Use is the contrast of the two girls. For my situation, I look at Dee being the Devil on your shoulder and Maggie as the angel. Something that stands out to me is that devil and Dee both start with the letter D. For the biblicalRead MoreConflict of Characters in Alice Walkers Everyday Use722 Words   |  3 Pages In Alice Walkers Everyday Use† she creates a conflict between characters. Walker describes a family as they anxiously await the arrival of, Dee, the older sister of the family. When Dee (Wangero) comes home to visit Mrs. Johnson and Maggie, right away the readers see the differences in the family by how they talk, act, and dress. Dee has changed her name to an African name and is collecting the objects and materials of her past. Dee thinks that since she is in college she knows mores then theRead MoreEveryday Use, A Character Analysis of Dee Essay449 Words   |  2 PagesAlthough the story Everyday Use is narrated from Mamas point of view, Alice Walker reveals Dee, Mamas eldest daughter, to be the central character. Dee remains essentially unchanged throughout the story. Even though Dee ac hieves her aim by overcoming complications such as poverty and racial discrimination, she is not admirable for her achievements and courage. Walker describes her to be selfish and self-centered, a woman who remains unchanged from her childhood to the current position after severalRead More The Character of Dee in Alice Walkers Everyday Use Essay879 Words   |  4 PagesThe Character of Dee in Alice Walkers Everyday Use Alice Walker skillfully crafts the character of Dee Johnson in the short story Everyday Use. From the first paragraph, Walker begins to weave the portrait of Dee, who at first seems shallow in many aspects. Dee becomes a more complex character, however, as the story unfolds. Blessed with both brains and good looks, Dee emerges as someone who is still struggling with her identity and heritage. Dees physical beauty can be definedRead MoreSymbolic Meanings Of Characters In Everyday Use ( Alice Walker )1156 Words   |  5 PagesThe symbolic meanings of characters in â€Å"Everyday Use† (Alice Walker) In â€Å"Everyday Use†, the author Alice Walker addresses the dilemma of African Americans who are striving to escape from prejudice and poverty, risk a terrible displacement (Cowart, 171). Also different sides of culture and heritage are described in the story through the characters of Dee, Maggie and Johnson, each with divergent personalities in life. Dee is described as a young women, who came back to her rural home after a long timeRead MoreEssay Maggie Character Analysis from Everyday Use676 Words   |  3 PagesHave you ever noticed how some people just stand out from the crowd? Like the clouds in the sky and blades of grass, people are all different. â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker has a good example of an interesting, unique character. Maggie is a young girl who is not only physically but also mentally scarred. The way the burning house, her stuck-up sister, and society affects Maggie makes her different from everyone else. Maggie was so traumatized from her house burning down that she became aRead More Character Analysis of Dee Johnson in Everyday Use by Alice Walker433 Words   |  2 PagesAlice Walker crafts the character of Dee Johnson in the short story â€Å"Everyday Use† in a clever way. Starting from the first paragraph, Walker creates an image of Dee, who at first seems very shallow. Dee then becomes a more complex character as the story progresses. Blessed with both brains and beauty, Dee emerges as someone who is still struggling with her identity and heritage. Dee is a flat character, who is described as arrogant and selfish. Through the eyes of Dee, one can see her egotisticalRead MoreCharacter Analysis of Maggie Johnson in Everyday Use by Alice Walker1498 Words   |  6 Pagesand aspirations of the two, as Alice Walker drew portraits of three women in a family in Everyday Use. Maggie Johnson was the youngest of the two daughters, and her older sister Dee had gone to college and hadn t been home in over a decade. Maggie stayed at her mother s side, to make a life for herself that seemed suitable for her. In this story, Maggie is a fragile young woman, however a strong character that is opposite of her sister Dee, who underestimates Maggie for the person she is. TheRead MoreAnalysis Of Walker s Everyday Use863 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† The short story â€Å"Everyday Use,† by Alice Walker, contains multiple different literary elements. History and heritage play a key role in the development and conclusion of this rather intriguing story. Although history and heritage are important, the driving factors of this story are the literary elements. In particular the elements of symbols, characterization, and point of view in this story are significant. The use of symbols in this short story provide a deeper