Symbolism in the Short Story Everyday Use Essay - 578 Words

Alice Walker is a well-known African- American writer known for published fiction, poetry, and biography. She received a number of awards for many of her publications. One of Walkers best short stories titled Everyday Use, tells the story of a mother and her two daughters conflicting ideas about their heritage. The mother narrates the story of the visit by her daughter, Dee. She is an educated woman who now lives in the city, visiting from college. She starts a conflict with the other daughter, Maggie over the possession of the heirloom quilts. Maggie still lives the lifestyle of her ancestors; she deserves the right of the quilts. This story explores heritage by using symbolism of the daughters actions, family items, and tradition.†¦show more content†¦Alice Walker demonstrates the importance of heritage through Dees thoughtless actions and Maggies actions during her daily life. Walker explores heritage by using symbolism through family items. The bench was passed on to Mama from many generations. The rump prints on the bench shows the history of their ancestors. Mama and Maggie still use this same bench at their table because they could not afford chairs. The butter dish that was Grandma Dees is also being used at the table. Also the churn top that was whittled out of a tree by Uncle Buddy still plays a large role in Mama and Maggies daily life. The main family item that Walker uses to symbolize heritage are the two quilts. These quilts are sewed from pasted ancestors and the meanings of these quilts are filled with history. The churn top, the bench with her ancestors rump prints, the butter dish, and the quilts are all symbols of their heritage. The symbolism of heritage and tradition is used in the story Everyday Use. The tradition of their lifestyle is an important role of appreciating their heritage. Maggie and Mama still live like their ancestors did generations before them. They still use the family items in their everyday life. The tradition of the bench being passed down from generation to generation symbolizes their heritage. When Dee wanted to take the churn for a center piece she did not even take in to consideration that they still use it toShow MoreRelatedEveryday Use by Alice Walker: A Look at Symbolism and Family Values879 Words   |  4 PagesAlice Walkers â€Å"Everyday Use†, is a story about a family of African Americans that are faced with moral issues involving what true inheritance is and who deserves it. Two sisters and two hand stitched quilts become the center of focus for this short story. Walker paints for us the most vivid representation through a third person perspective of family values and how people from the same environment and upbringing can become differen t types of people. 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