"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker was an interesting story about family relationship and heritage. Walker’s style of writing made me first a bit confused at who was narrating the story but I soon came to find out, that it was the mother. I was kind of surprised because her thoughts and opinions were very real and true without any sugar-coating like most mothers. It was kind of harsh the metaphors she was comparing her children to, such as the when she compares Maggie to a lame animal. Yet, the mother’s opinions really allow the reader to understand each family member’s role and dynamic between them.Obviously, Dee is the distinguished, knowledgable, confident one who is fed up with the lifestyle her mother and sister continue to live. She wants to break free and be prosperous while her family remains at home sulking in what they’ve always known. 

Walker uses this essay very well as a vehicle for personal exploration throughout.  She seems to break everyone down so that the reader can fully understand them. Dee, the confident one, Maggie, the insecure and quiet one, and the mother, a tough working woman who only dreams of living a glamorous life and being “the way my daughter always wanted me to be.” There are many fascinating dynamics in this family and Walker makes them known and relatable. The highlight is the situation with the quilt. Dee wants to hang up and preserve the history, getting a wonderful decoration for her fabulous home she never had. The mother wants it for Maggie and her new husband, putting it to good use as it was made for. These conflicting views are presented to the reader to decide who is right, and they are definitely relatable to every family.